Imagine a future in which every woman has to get a man's permission just to hold down a job. Imagine women unable to travel without a son's or father's consent. Imagine a woman who can't even buy health care because her husband or brother won't allow it.
Sound like a science fiction novel? It's not. That's daily life for women in Saudi Arabia, a country with strong ties to the United States.
Life sucks for Saudi women, and the country's male guardianship system is the main reason. Basically, Saudi women don't have the status of real people, and they have to get a man's consent to do anything of importance. A woman whose husband has died may have to kowtow to her own son just to get on a plane.
It's high time for Saudi Arabia, which markets itself as a modern, civilized country, to abolish the guardianship system. Please join me in calling on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to abolish the guardianship requirement and grant Saudi women equality with men.
Dear King Abdullah:
I was surprised and saddened to learn about the guardianship system in Saudi Arabia. This system basically treats women like infants who can't make any decisions for themselves. Your law puts grown women in the humiliating position of having to ask a brother, a father, or even a son for permission to do the most basic things like travel or get a job. You need to abolish this system and award women equal status under your country's laws.
