Examining Obstacles to Saudi Women's Right to Work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

273 Pages·2017·2.46 MB·English

Examining Obstacles to Saudi Women's Right to Work in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

By
Hani Abdulghani M Alharbi

Department of Politics, History and the Brunel Law School
Brunel University London

December 2016
Dedication

This thesis is dedicated to the soul of my father.

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Affirmation

This thesis, submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, is an original work of
my own and has not been submitted before for any other degree.

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Abstract

This thesis determines and examines the obstacles to Saudi women’s right to work in
terms of religious and cultural barriers and limited access to higher education through
an analysis of Sharia sources, Saudi domestic law and international human rights
treaties pertaining to Saudi women’s right to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It
also delineates the provisions for women’s right to work in Sharia and Saudi domestic
law in the public and private sectors.
The thesis also examines the reservations that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has
entered into, and some of the international human rights treaties it has ratified, with a
particular focus on the application of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It also examines Saudi Arabia’s
obligations under International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions. In the
context of Saudi domestic law, it identifies obstacles that underlie Saudi Arabia’s
decision not to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR); it examines the arguments for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
signing up to the ICESCR; and it examines Saudi Arabia’s obligations to respect,
protect and fulfil women’s right to work under CEDAW.
The protection of women’s right to work under customary international law, by its
sources will be explored. This section will look through customary international law
elements; whether or not women's right to work is protected. Finally, the thesis
provides recommendations for action which can be taken by the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia to provide Saudi women with equal rights to work. It also makes
recommendations concerning ratified and pending international human rights treaties
which have the capacity to protect Saudi women’s right to work.

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Acknowledgements

First of all, thanks are to God Almighty, through Whose mercy this thesis has been
completed.
I would also like to express my great gratitude and very great appreciation to my
supervisor, Professor Manisuli Sseyonjo, for his encouragement, guidance and
support from the beginning to the final level and for developing my understanding of
the topic; without him this work would not have been possible. It was a pleasure to
work under his supervision. I also wish to express my special appreciation to my
second supervisor, Professor Benedict Chigara.
I am grateful to my sponsor, AL-Baha University, for its financial and logistical
support to conduct my PhD at Brunel University. I would also like to thank all of the
staff and my friends at Brunel University London who always provided me with
support and help during my research.
Lastly, special gratitude to a great person in my life who always looked after me and
tried to provide everything I needed to do the PhD; my soul, ‘Nouf’.

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Table of Contents
Dedication ................................................................................................................................ 2
Affirmation .............................................................................................................................. 3
Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 4
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. 5
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................... 6
List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... 9
List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. 10
Glossary ................................................................................................................................. 12
Cases… .................................................................................................................................. 15
List of International Instruments ........................................................................................... 16
List of National Instruments (Saudi Arabia) ......................................................................... 19
Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................. 21
1.1 Background ............................................................................................................... 21
1.2 Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 25
1.3 Thesis Statement ....................................................................................................... 29
1.4 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 30
1.5 Research Objectives .................................................................................................. 31
1.6 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................... 31
1.7 Foundational Principles Applicable to Women’s Human Rights ............................. 32
1.7.1 Human Rights-based Approach .................................................................................... 32
1.7.2 Equality and non-discrimination .................................................................................. 34
1.7.3 Dignity .......................................................................................................................... 37
1.8 Challenges ................................................................................................................. 39
1.9 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 40
1.10 Chapter Outline ......................................................................................................... 41
2 Chapter Two: Examining Women’s Right to Work in Saudi Arabia ................ 44
2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 44
2.2 Jahiliyyah .................................................................................................................. 45
2.3 Women’s Right to Work According to Sharia Sources ............................................ 47
2.3.1 Qur’an ........................................................................................................................... 47
2.3.2 Hadith ........................................................................................................................... 53
2.3.3 Ijma’ (consensus) .......................................................................................................... 56
2.4 Women’s Right to Work under Saudi Arabian Domestic Law ................................. 62
2.4.1 The Saudi Civil Service System ................................................................................... 65
2.4.2 The Impact of Saudi Labour Law on Women’s Right to Work in the KSA ................ 70
2.5 The Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Goals to Achieve International Obligations ......... 77
2.6 Codification of Sharia ............................................................................................... 80
2.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 83
3 Chapter Three: Examining Religion and Culture as Barriers to Women's
Right to Work in Saudi Arabia .......................................................................................... 86
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3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 86
3.2 Religious Interpretations as a Barrier to Women’s Right to Work in Saudi
Arabia………… .................................................................................................................................. 86
3.2.1 The Impact of Interpretations of the Religious Concept of Mahram in the KSA......... 89
3.2.2 Mahram as it Relates to Women’s Right to Work ........................................................ 99
3.2.3 The Issue of Male Guardianship ................................................................................. 103
3.2.4 Ikhtilat (‘Intermingling’) ............................................................................................ 105
3.2.5 Kalwah (Seclusion) .................................................................................................... 108
3.2.6 The Impact of Sex-segregation ................................................................................... 112
3.3 Limitations on Women’s Work under Sharia ......................................................... 115
3.3.1 General Limitations on the Right to Work Applicable to Both Men and
Women under Sharia .................................................................................................................. 117
3.3.2 Limitations on the Right to Work Applicable to Women Only .................................. 119
3.3.3 Employment Areas for Women in Sharia ................................................................... 123
3.4 Culture as a Barrier to Women's Right to Work in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia………… ................................................................................................................................ 126
3.4.1 ‘A Woman’s Place is in the Home’ ............................................................................ 128
3.4.2 Woman is Woman ...................................................................................................... 130
3.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 133
4 Chapter Four: Limited Access to Higher Education as an Obstacle to
Women's Right to Work in Saudi Arabia ....................................................................... 138
4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 138
4.2 Women’s Education in Saudi Arabia ...................................................................... 139
4.2.1 Historical Context of Women’s Education in Saudi Arabia ....................................... 139
4.2.2 Education Policy for Women in Saudi Arabia ........................................................... 144
4.2.3 Inadequate Protection of Women’s Education under Saudi Arabian Domestic
Law……. .................................................................................................................................... 148
4.3 Limited Access to Higher Education as an Obstacle to Women’s Right to
Work in Saudi Arabia ........................................................................................................................ 153
4.3.1 Limitations on the Opportunities for Women to Study Some Disciplines ................. 153
4.3.2 Unequal Access to Higher Education ......................................................................... 161
4.3.3 Inequality in the Use of Available Facilities in Educational Institutions ................... 164
4.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 167
5 Chapter Five: Saudi Arabia’s Obligation to Protect Women’s Right to Work
under International Human Rights Law ......................................................................... 170
5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 170
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5.2 Saudi Arabia’s International Treaty Obligations to Protect Women’s Right to
Work 171
5.3 Saudi Arabia’s Obligations to Respect, Protect and Fulfil Women’s Right to
Work Under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW) ............................................................................................................................ 177
5.3.1 Saudi Arabia’s Reservations on CEDAW .................................................................. 183
5.3.2 The Incompatibility Between CEDAW and Saudi Domestic Law: KSA Duties
to Eliminate Discrimination against Women.............................................................................. 193
5.4 Saudi Arabia’s Obligations Under International Labour Organization
Conventions…… ............................................................................................................................... 195
5.5 Should Saudi Arabia Ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) .......................................................................................................... 200
5.5.1 The Need to Ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights in Light of Domestic Saudi Law ....................................................................... 202
5.5.2 The Incompatibility and Differences between ICESCR and Saudi Law .................... 204
5.6 Protection of Women’s Right to Work under Customary International Law ......... 209
5.7 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 216
6 Chapter Six: General Conclusion ............................................................................... 218
6.1 Summary of Findings .............................................................................................. 218
6.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 224
Bibliography ....................................................................................................................... 228
Appendix 1 ......................................................................................................................... 249
Appendix 2 ......................................................................................................................... 259
Appendix 3 ......................................................................................................................... 270

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List of Tables
- Total of Higher Education Institutions in Saudi Arabia (2014-2013).

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List of Abbreviations
CDHRI C airo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
CEDAW C onvention on the Elimination of All Form of Discrimination against Women
CERD C ommittee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
CESCR C ommittee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
CHRL C onventions of Human Rights Law
CIL C ustomary International Law
GAUN G eneral Assembly of the United Nations
GPGE General Presidency of Girls' Education
GPSRI The General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta
HRL H uman Rights Law
HRW H uman Rights Watch
ICCPR I nternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICESCR I nternational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
ILC International Law Commission
ILOC International Labour Organization Conventions
KSA Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
NCRH National Commission on Human Rights
SCSL Saudi Civil Service Law
SLA Saudi Labour Law
UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights
UN United Nations
UNC United Nations Charter
UNCHR United Nations Commission on Human Rights
UNHRC United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner
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