Women - Part 2

OK - so we've had a few questions about how women are treated over here. Let me see if I can answer one of these and give you some insights into the culture over here. I'll try to get to some more in the days to come.

So the first question is: "Do men and women receive equal treatment here?" A: No.

Women have separate lines at the bank, the post office, and at government offices. There are even women-only days at the beach and women-only cars on the Metro. So is this equality? No. Is it discrimination? No, it's not really that, either.

Now I realize that there may be a few of you reading this who are supporters of women's rights and think that men and women should be treated equally all of the time. The very idea of separate lines to stand in and separate seating on the Metro is offensive to you. Well, they don't see it that way over here. There are separate lines for women at many places of business because people over here realize that women have an important role in the home. They want to minimize women's time away from the home. That's why there is a separate women's line that gets served before the men's line. It's more chivalry than discrimination.

There is also the idea in this culture that men and women should only be together if they're family. Otherwise, there is a temptation for an inappropriate relationship to develop. So the sexes are segregated. Some of you may think this is going overboard, but here, it's just seen as being extra cautious.

Finally, women have separate lines at businesses, separate cars on the Metro, and separate days at the beach because people here acknowledge that men make the world a harsh, rough, and coarse place. Ask any woman who has grown up with all brothers and she'll tell you what it's like to be in an environment with mostly guys. So over here in the Middle East, they acknowledge that women probably wouldn't want to spend their time in the predominantly male world outside of their homes. Therefore, they have women-only stuff.

So, is it equality? No. Is it discrimination? No, it's not really that, either. In many ways, women receive preferential treatment. As two Westerners who have been taught to value "equality," we were prepared to call what we have seen "injustice." But instead, what we have found is a culture that treats women with consideration and respect. We do still occaisionally hear stories on the news of injustice, but we don't believe that this is the day-to-day reality for most women here. On the whole, women are cherished and protected. They are not treated as property; but they are highly valued.