Throughout our recent
classes, we have discussed heavily the subject of whether justice is
defined by equality. While equality does play a vital role in
defining justice, does separate but equal fall into the same category
of defining justice? As we have seen over the course of America's
history, separate but equal does not constitute justice under our law
because what was separate was not always equal. However, justice
could potentially be defined by separate but equal in other countries
in which their religious beliefs result in a far more strict society.
Currently in Saudi Arabia,
the female population is revolting against their unjust society. The
opportunities that are offered to women are slim to none which, as a
result, have caused the women to desire a far more equal and modern
society. In order for women to receive the rights they desire, the
female population of Saudi Arabia has created a city of their own in
which they can create their own opportunities and have the freedom to
do as they please. The severity of the segregation that is up and
coming in this country has caused many United States politicians and
citizens to recall the Jim Crow Laws that were establish as a result
of the segregation of blacks and whites. The question arises of
whether or not the creation of this single sex city is actually a
viable solution to the lack of equality in Saudi Arabia considering
the city was thought of by women, for women. Personally, I believe
that while it may be a step in the right direction for women to
obtain the rights they deserve, it is not completely just. Although
women will have the opportunity to have freedoms, when they leave the
bubble that is their city, they will once again lose all rights that
they had obtained living separately. So does the idea of justice
change under the rules of a stricter society therefore justifying
separate but equal, or do the ideas we have created as Americans
still play a role in this situation?
Works Cited
Khaleeli,
Homa. "Saudi Arabia's Women-only Cities Are No Blueprint for
Liberation." The
Guardian.
Guardian News and Media, 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 06 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/13/saudi-arabia-women-only-city>.
View,
World With A. "Women Only: Saudi Arabia Further Segregates
Society." Forbes.
Forbes Magazine, 15 Aug. 2012. Web. 06 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/worldviews/2012/08/15/women-only-saudi-arabia-further-segregates-society/>.
It would be impossible to make an adequate analysis of this situation without looking back on our past, such as the civil rights movement. Even though the diameters are different being that women are an essential component of any community for obvious reproductive reasons. Their absence from the main stream communities will have an enormous effect, however I still agree with you in saying that this new society will not fix all of their problems. In situations such as this respect is a major factor. Women in Saudi Arabia do not receive an equal grade of respect as the men. While constructing their city is admirable and courageous, it could still be interpreted as running away from the bigger issue. I believe it will take a lot more than seclusion for the women of Saudi Arabia to prove to the men that they deserve an equal grade of respect.
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion I have as a possible solution would be to select certain men to enter the city has a trial and error experiment. To hopefully prove to the rest of the men in Saudi Arabia that their society would be better off if men and women had equal rights. Also a city of only women would also have their own problems concerning longevity without the reproductive aspect of men.
I think this is an excellent example of the thin line between equal and equitable. Many times, such in the tax codes mentioned in an earlier post and the example of bread we had in class, it is more fitting for the division of something to be equitable. In this case, the division of rights were neither equal nor equitable considering the women had little or no rights.
ReplyDeleteNow that the women have made their own society, some could argue that this is an equitable solution to the problem. Though this is better for the happiness of the women, is the equitable solution truly better or even as good as the equal solution? Would the more just answer to this problem be to have the equality of both men and women in Saudi Arabia?
Obviously creating a society of equality for men and women is not an easy task for Saudi Arabia, but it does raise the question of whether equitable and equal are better fit for different situations.
I'm not sure of the last question, but I will address it. The idea of justice is ultimately subjective. Every society, makes its own judgements about what is just and unjust, whether one is "stricter" or not. Aristotle describes "natural" (universal) and "conventional" (local) justice in Book V, Chapter 7.
ReplyDeleteI also don't know how I feel about the phrase "the women... desire a far more equal and modern society." Equal I'll agree with. I don't think due to their sex they should be denied rights, however this is looking at it through an incredibly privileged lens. As far as you mean by "modern," I borderline take offense. Please let us not forget that just because we're talking of an Eastern or a Non-Western society that it is in any way less modern. The people, their practices, and their dealings are as contemporary as ours. Westerners tend to assume they are more progressive, accepting, and therefore more "modern" than the rest of the world.
If anything, I think the whole women-only city should be used as a public demonstration, something like the boycotts we had in the US. For example, the public bus system almost went bankrupt in Montgomery; I wonder what socio-economic upheaval this area of Saudi Arabia would find itself in with a massive women's boycott. No, I don't think the separate city would magically fix the large social/political issues the women are facing, but I do believe the movement could be an eye-opening experience for the men to make them recognize exactly how vital a role women play.