Documentary: Working Women in Saudi Arabia

OK - I am trying something new this time! I have actually put a video on my post for you to watch! I have to warn you though - it is LONG! At a little over one hour in length, it is well worth watching if you are at all interested in learning more about modern women in Saudi Arabia. I first viewed this film several months ago and just recently viewed it again, and this time, I thought many of you would be extremely interested in seeing it.


The maker of this film is Bregtje van der Haak, a journalist and documentary filmmaker from the Netherlands, who traveled to Saudi Arabia for two weeks in hopes of interviewing working women there. One major problem that she encountered, however, was that only 5 per cent of Saudi women actually work outside the home, and most of those would decline to be photographed or interviewed for her project. Van der Haak managed to produce an eye opening, fascinating, in-depth documentary about the slow progress being made in this strict Islamic country.

I'd like to give you a brief idea about some of the highlights and subject matter featured in the film, in hopes that you will feel excited about it and that watching it will be an hour of your time well spent:

* Suzan Zawawi, one of the very few working women journalists in the Kingdom, is filmed at length, offering insight and even giving a tour of her home, while describing some of the challenges she faces in her world dominated by men. Suzan is a young mother, well spoken, and optimistic about increasing women's roles in Saudi society.

* There is really interesting footage taken inside a factory that employs women in a separate work area from men.

* Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the 5th richest man in the world and a champion for women's rights, employs unveiled, uncovered Saudi women in his modern skyscraper palace in Riyadh. He believes that women are severely under-utilized in the Saudi work force.

* Top Saudi female gynecologist, Dr. Zeinab, appears in a segment where she uses IVF in hopes of impregnating a young wife who has infertility problems. In a society where the average family has five children per family and men are allowed to have more than one wife, infertility can be a horrifying dilemma.

* Watch scenes from a TV station where unveiled female newsreaders have increased viewership by over 15 per cent.

* Saudi Arabia's first female airplane pilot, Hazadi Hindi, had to learn to fly in Jordan, since women are prohibited from studying this and other fields in Arabia. So now she can fly airplanes in Saudi Arabia, however, ironically, she still cannot drive a car in her country.

* It took photographer Madeha Al-Ajroosh more than twenty years to be able to open her own photography business in Saudi Arabia. A major obstacle was that women were not allowed into the government Ministries, so she could not get her paperwork and licensing done.

* Another interesting segment with Prince Bin Talal shows him at his outdoor desert camp where he receives thousands of requests for assistance from Saudi citizens.

I urge and encourage you to watch this film, but remember, it is over one hour long, so watch it when you have the time. I promise you that you will not regret it. You can watch it right here by clicking on the triangle in the middle of the screen below, or if you prefer to watch it on a full screen, click on the title to this segment above ("Documentary: Working Women in Saudi Arabia") and it will take you to the You-Tube site, where you can turn it into full screen by clicking on the rectangle within the rectangle just below the video clip on the right.

If THAT doesn't work, here is the link - you can just copy and paste:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWD4KzSpj_g&feature=email