Women’s rights and the protection which they are accustomed to is a topic that has become particularly prevalent in the past few months, with the catalyst being the murder of Sarah Everard back in March. If you are wondering what is currently happening with that case, put the 25th of October 2021 in your calendars as that is the provisional dare of Wayne Couzen’s trial.
In light of this rise in the debate surrounding the protection of women’s rights, I decided to look away from the UK to another jurisdiction, Qatar, where the debate surrounding women’s rights is also on the rise. I will be looking at how the cultural and legal landscape of the country is different from that of the UK.
The Current Situation
Known as a peninsular Arab country, Qatar seems to have a different perception of where the woman stands in domestic and labour situations compared to the UK. In fact, they believe that the two coincide with one another. The traditional standpoint is that women should take care of their husbands. This is very much the same orthodox opinion of the US back in the 19th and 20th century, with the 19th amendment only granting women the right to vote in 1920. Women in Qatar can also vote, with their formal integration being in 1999.
Qatar has also adopted a male guardianship system, which essentially restricts women from being able to make their own decisions about their own lives. An example of this in everyday life is that a woman must seek permission from her male guardian to take a husband. This is contrasting with the United Kingdom where there is not such a system. This is the same for men and women in the United Kingdom under Article 12 of the Human Rights Act 1998.
In terms of the family, women tend not to be the primary guardians of their children. The father oversees all schooling, medical and travel decisions, as well as being responsible for all documentation. But what happens if the father dies, or a divorce occurs? Well, the mother is still not responsible for any of the above decisions. Instead, these decisions fall on the Government.
The Opinions of Women
So given the facts, what are the opinions of the women living in Qatar? Recently, Qatari women have begun to speak out with the help of Human Rights Watch. One Qatari woman referred to the isolating conditions which the entire world is experiencing now, stating: ‘Girls are constantly in quarantine. What the whole world experiences now, this is normal life for girls in Qatar’. Not only does this put things into the perspective for those of us who live in somewhat equal societies, but it also emphasises the influence the laws in the country have over the women living there.
While women can work in industry, only 51% of them have been able to find stable work, with a salary which is thought to be up to 70% of what men earn per annum. It is also believed that only 6% of women own their own business in Qatar. While it would be ideal to see this figure go up substantially, it is still refreshing to see a woman make their own way in life when they are so limited in many other areas of life.
To Conclude
So, what is the conclusion of this case study? Firstly, it is important to remember that each country has its own cultural anomalies. These may be big or small, but they are all founded on different principles which, in Qatar’s case, is the Islamic faith. Even though the women of Qatar are beginning to protest their position in society, it is important to consider that their position has been ingrained in their society for generations, and change may take time.
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