Women

   As a woman, I have a different experience of the Arab world than the men on my team do, but I can honestly say it's not the sort of oppressive regime you may think it is. While a good percentage of the women wear abayas or burkhas (full black coverings), there are others who do not even cover their hair. The westerners here seem to have a separate set of rules more like that of our home culture that the Arabs are typically pretty gracious about respecting. However, most women are mindful of the culture and its values and dress accordingly. As a westerner who wants to show and gain respect, I dress quite modestly (loose clothing to cover my forearms and ankles, and shirts that go past my hips) and have been wearing a head covering at times. For now, I am choosing to err on the side of being overly modest, but it may turn out that I choose not to cover my head. As I meet more Arabs and read their feelings on the subject, I will be able to make a better decision.

    Many women here do hold jobs (unlike in Saudi, where very few work), some political and upper level corporate, but most work secretarial or hourly wage jobs such as a cashier position. I think of women's progress here like I imagine the U.S. in the 1960s to be- where they were working, but in nowhere near the capacity of men. 

    It's not so much that the women are treated differently or lesser here, it's that the men and women are separate and just don't mix. The only time you will find the genders together is with family; the cafes and malls are filled with groups of only girls or only boys. Outside of required interaction (like at businesses), I don't look at or talk with men, and they do the same for me. There have been a few occasions when I found myself to be the only woman in a group of men and I do my best to speak little. I drink tea with them and am involved in the conversation, but when it is time to end the interaction, I give a simple head nod rather than a hand shake. For those of you who know me well, you can probably guess that this sort of behavior is very unlike my personality, but since I don't have to do it all the time, I have been able to handle it. From what I know, the women behave very differently when the men are not around - not too unlike in the States, I suppose.