‫ نموذج للملخصات البحثية إنجليزي‬: 1‫مرفق‬
Title
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citation
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Type of Publication
Women , Family and The Discovery of Oil
Dr.Salwa Alkhateeb
salkhateeb@ksu.edu.sa
Social studies department
Anthropology
1998
Marriage & Family Review, Vol. 27( 1/ 2 ). The Haworth Press. P.P. 167- 189
Research
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Marriage. Family. Social Change
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to examine social changes in the Saudi family in general
and women’s lives in particular, in response to the influx of wealth into the
country. The data of this paper were collected through personal interviews and
open ended questionnaires with 95 Saudi working women of different ages,
family backgrounds, and level of education in Riyadh city, the capital of Saudi
Arabia. This study describes the most important changes that have taken place in
the Saudi family following the discovery of oil: its advantages and disadvantages
in Saudi society. The advantages are a series of five year development plans to
raise the standard of living of the population. Women have found a comfortable
way of life, acquired education, and employment. At the same time, the sudden
increase of wealth has brought with it some disadvantages: Saudi society has
become a consumer oriented society. Women’s participation in public has
become more restricted, and their economic contribution to the family has been
reduced.
Though conservative, Saudi society has seen several changes in the family.
Some aspects of the family changed faster than others. Materialistic aspects, such
as houses, furniture, clothes, food, domestic equipment, recreational devices, and
brideprice, have moved faster than cultural aspects relating to gender and the
sexual division of labor.
Marriage is still highly valued in Saudi society by males and females alike.
The restrictions over women's movements make Saudi women see marriage as
their only area of freedom. Endogamous marriage which was dominant in pre-oil
Saudi society is declining. Nowadays, exogamy is more favored, particularly in
urban areas. Arranged marriage is the most common type. The age of marriage
has changed. While early marriages were common in pre-oil Saudi society, the
age at marriage has increased. The average age at marriage is eighteen to twenty
two for Saudi women, and twenty four to twenty eight for Saudi men. The
brideprice has dramatically increased. The average brideprice is thirty to fifty
thousand Saudi Reyals.
Sexual division of labor in Saudi society is more or less the same. Saudis
have an unquestioned belief about the difference in male / female roles in the
family. Men are expected to be the head, and the breadwinners, of the family,
while women are expected to be mothers and housewives. One of the new
phenomena in Saudi society is the widespread use of foreign domestic helpers.
The concept of marital relations among young women has significantly
changed. Many respondents emphasized that their relationship with their
husbands was based on mutual respect and understanding.
Man's economic authority is more or less the same. He is considered the
breadwinner and holds all financial matters in his hands. The religious authority
of the man has been partly transferred to schools and mosques. Because of the
separation between home and work, the man has lost some of his social authority.
Women have acquired more power in the domestic domain. They have more
control over children, and are playing a significant role in communication
between households. Some of the important sources of women's power in the
Saudi family are woman's family status, wealth. These are considered more
significant than female education and employment. Finally, it could be argued
that the Saudi family is still a male dominated institution with the most important
decisions made by men. Cultural norms, civil rules, juridical legislation
strengthen men's authority in the family and society in general