In the supposedly rock solid family structure of Saudi Arabia there appears to be some interesting changes. Approximately 33 Saudi women get a divorce each day resulting in a divorce rate of about 12,000 a year. Nora Al-Shamian, head of the Research Centre at King Saud Girls College, recently organized a three day conference on Saudi marriage. Many speakers blasted TV for presenting shows depicting women in roles other than those deemed appropriate for Saudi women. One speaker claimed that 78% of Saudi youth rely on mass media for sex education. “Because the school curriculum does not address sensitive issues such as sexual education, it leaves Saudi youth with no choice but to learn about such things from the media,” claimed one speaker. It was also claimed many young people are getting ideas about what constitutes a normal family from television programs originating outside of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has one foot in the middle ages and the other in the 21st century. Due to religious domination of so many aspects of Saudi society, women are cast in a secondary position. Heck, they still haven’t gotten around to allowing women to drive cars. Divorce is probably rising among the upper middle and upper classes of Saudi society because women in those families have access to satellite television and may take trips abroad. At some point in time Saudi Arabia has to empower women with equal rights, not only because it is morally correct, but due to needs of drawing upon their intellectual powers in developing their society.
Information from the Bahrain Tribune