A STUDY OF HOW SAUDI COUPLES NAVIGATE THE CHANGING GENDER ENVIROMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

This study explored the views of Saudi Arabian couples concerning the changing gender environment in Saudi Arabia. Extant research on Saudi Arabia has examined some aspects of the gender environment, but no studies examine how couples navigate the changing gender environment differently depending on their experiences with and exposure to a changing gender environment. This study extends previous research by focusing on how differently situated couples navigate gender roles. Based on qualitative interviews with 55 Saudi couples (29 traveled and 26 non-traveled; 29 living in urban areas and 26 living in rural areas), three broad strategies emerged. First, Social Strategies capture how couples navigate social life in Saudi Arabia, with a special focus on experiences with mixed-gender environments. Second, Familial Strategies capture how couples navigate gender roles in the household. Finally, the chapter on Vision 2030 and Gender Relations addresses how couples think about and navigate the recent easing of gender-based restrictions. This chapter addresses some important changes (e.g., women driving and women’s employment in Saudi Arabia). Taken together, the findings generally support previous research. But the focus on how couples navigate gender roles together provides new insights into how the gender environment is changing. Most importantly, the study finds that urban couples and rural couples adopt different approaches when it comes to navigating gender roles. Most rural couples take a traditional approach to navigating gender roles while urban couples are more open to a non-traditional approach to gender roles. Moreover, and most significantly, couples who have traveled to Western countries are generally more flexible when to comes to gender roles, but not uniformly so