Saudi women have been granted new freedoms in recent years, as the Islamic kingdom eases restrictions seen by rights activists as repressive.
On Aug. 2, Saudi Arabia allowed women to travel without permission, further eroding a heavily criticized guardianship system under which all women are assigned a male relative whose approval is needed to take some key life decisions.
Here are some of the biggest outstanding obstacles to women’s freedom in the country.
Photo: EPA
照片：歐新社
FAMILY LIFE
Women still need permission from a male relative to marry or live on their own.
Those who disobey their guardian can face arrest.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
Women who marry a foreigner cannot pass citizenship onto their children.
On Aug. 2, besides granting women above the age of 21 the right to obtain a passport and travel overseas, Saudi Arabia also allowed women to register births, marriage or divorce.
Women can also now be issued official family documents and become a guardian to children.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
HEALTH AND EDUCATION
Since 2017, women do not need the consent of a male guardian to access services such as education and healthcare but women’s rights groups say this is implemented only on an ad hoc basis.
LEGAL
Women cannot file a lawsuit on their own, which activists say hinders their ability to report cases of domestic violence.
They can testify in court but in some cases their testimony is considered worth only half that of a man.
WORK
The decrees of Aug. 2 stipulate that all citizens have the right to work without facing any discrimination based on gender, disability or age.
Authorities had earlier removed restrictions on women’s work in the labor code and ended formal requirements for women to obtain a guardian’s permission to work, but some employers still demand this and are not penalized for doing so.
Male consent is also required to open a bank account or apply for credit.
DRIVING
In 2017, Saudi Arabia lifted a longstanding ban on women driving that was seen as an emblem of repression.
However, activists say many still face hurdles in getting a license as driving schools catering to women are few and expensive.
DRESS CODE
Women are required to dress modestly, but there is no specific written dress code and compliance varies in different regions and different situations. In practice, most Saudi women are expected to wear the long, dark abaya robe and a headscarf.
Dress is monitored by religious police and women have been detained and released for immodest clothing. The requirements do not tend to apply to foreign women.
ACTIVISM
The relaxation of social norms and rules has been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent, including the arrest and alleged torture of some female activists who campaigned for decades to improve women’s rights, according to rights groups.
SPORTS
Conservative clerics have repeatedly said women who do physical exercise are immodest, even when they are not in public or seen by men.
The kingdom sent two female athletes to the Olympics for the first time in 2012. Four went to the 2016 Games.
(Reuters with staff writer)
沙烏地阿拉伯的女性近年新獲得了一些自由──沙烏地這伊斯蘭教王國鬆綁了某些限制，這些限制被維權人士視為壓迫。
沙國八月二日頒布新法，讓女性旅行不再需要經過男性許可，這使該國飽受詬病的監護制度再退讓一步。該監護制度規定所有女性都必須有一名男性親屬作為監護人，一些重要的決定都必須經過他的同意。
以下是沙國婦女自由仍須面臨的一些主要障礙。
家庭生活
女性仍然需要男性親屬的許可，才能夠結婚或獨自生活。
違抗監護人的女性可能會遭到逮捕。
與外國人結婚的沙國婦女，其子女無法享有沙國公民身份。
八月二日的新法，除了讓二十一歲以上的女性有權取得護照和出國旅行，還允許婦女去登記孩子出生、結婚或離婚。
戶政公文現在也可以發給婦女，婦女也可以成為兒童的監護人。
醫療保健及教育
自二○一七年起，女性接受教育及醫療保健等服務，不需經男性監護人之同意。但婦女權利組織表示，此規定僅為暫時性的。
法律
女性不能自己提起訴訟。維權人士指出，這樣的規定讓婦女難以通報家庭暴力案件。
女性可以在法庭上作證，但在某些情況下，女性的證詞，其效力被視為只有男性的一半。
工作
八月二日的新法規定，所有公民工作都有權不受性別、殘疾或年齡歧視。
沙國政府早先取消了勞動法中對女性工作之限制，讓女性工作不再需要經過監護人同意；然而，仍有雇主要求女性求職者提供監護人之同意，而做此要求的雇主並不會受罰。
開立銀行帳戶或申請信用貸款仍須經男性同意。
駕車
二○一七年，沙國取消了長久以來對女性駕車之禁令。此禁令被視為典型的對女性的壓迫。
但維權人士表示，要取得駕照，對許多婦女來說仍是困難重重，因為招收女性的駕訓班非常稀少，且費用昂貴。
衣著規範
沙國要求女性衣著端莊，但並無白紙黑字之規定載明衣著規範，且所謂端莊的衣著，其規範依不同地區及場合而異。一般來說，沙國女性都被要求穿著黑色長袍，並戴頭巾。
人民的衣著是由宗教警察監督，有女性因衣著不合宜而被拘留。外國女性則不受這些衣著規範約束。
維權運動
維權團體表示，沙國一方面鬆綁這些社會規範及法律，同時又鎮壓異議人士，包括逮捕女性維權人士，據稱還對她們施以酷刑。這些維權人士數十年來不斷努力改善婦女的權利。
體育
保守派神職人員一再表示，從事體育的女性是不端莊的，即使她們並不是在公共場合運動，也沒有被男性看見。
二○一二年，沙國首次派出女運動員參加奧運會，有兩名女性選手參加，二○一六年的奧運則派出了四名。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
FOLLOW UP
讀後練習
Questions
1. In your country, at what age are you legally an adult?
When are you:
a. eligible to obtain a driver’s license?
b. able to obtain a passport?
c. allowed to travel without a guardian?
2. In some cultures, the prevailing idea is that men should go out to work, while women should stay home. Do you agree? Why?
3. In your country/culture, what is the prevailing idea about gender roles? Please give at least one example of the country/region/culture that has a different idea.
(Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
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