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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the study
Many aspects of life are dominated by men, whether economically or socially. The patriarchy system seems to limit the freedom of women. Women are
often seen as inferior human beings that they are discriminated and even oppressed. This is then what is called gender-discrimination. In many societies,
whether in the west or in the east, gender discrimination is something common. In some countries, especially in the east, women are discriminated in many aspects
of life. They are seen as objects that should stay at home and be responsible for any household matters while men are the one responsible of any matters outside
the house. In almost all societies, women and men perform different activities,
although the nature and range of these activities vary across classes and across communities. They have also changed over time. Women are
typically responsible for childcare and household work, but they also engage in producing goods for household consumption or for the market.
Men are typically responsible for meeting the households needs for food and resources Ravindran, 2001: 55.
Sometimes women find it difficult to express their thoughts, and they are oppressed by the patriarchal system in the society since they do not have the same
opportunities as men have. One of the countries that limit the rights of women is Saudi Arabia. The
patriarchy system which results in gender inequality in Saudi Arabia is a very strong system. As a result, women in Saudi Arabia are hindered by various rules.
For example, in order to take care of official tasks such as legal matters with bank and other offices, women in Saudi Arabia are not permitted to do the official tasks
themselves. Things related to them should be done by their male guardians, preferably family.
The relationship between man and woman who are not family is also regulated by law. Those who are not family or relatives cannot interact in public
places freely. If a man and a woman who are not relatives are caught having interaction in public places, they will definitely be punished because it is
considered a crime. One crime for which women are especially targeted is khulwa the illegal
mixing of unrelated men and women, which can occur whether men and women are dining together in a restaurant, riding in a taxi, or meeting for
business 2010:429. Even though the regulations seem to take the freedom of women in Saudi
Arabia, the majority of Saudi Arabian do not see it as a discrimination, instead they see it as equivalence.
It is stated by Kelly that A healthy majority of Saudi citizens agree with the social agenda of the
ulema, and would not view the inequalities between men and women as discrimination, but as equivalence Kelly, 2010: 425.
Yet, a forceful movement keeps pushing to improve women s parity with men in terms of civil rights. It is the society that created such inequalities, not the
religion. As what Amani Hamdan explains in a journal Women and education in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and achievements, that Women s issues in Saudi
society are often mistakenly connected to Islamic teachings whereas women s inequality is traditionally structured in the society 2005: 45.
The awareness of some people especially women in Saudi Arabia about the gender inequality that is caused by society then lead some of these women to
criticize it. Hamdan said that Saudi women devise their own strategies to challenge gender inequality and achieve social justice not only in education but in
all life matters 2005: 45. Rajaa Al-Saena as a writer shows her awareness through her writings. In
order to criticize the strong patriarchal system in Saudi Arabia society, she shows t
he phenomenon of discrimination towards women in Saudi Arabia that is portrayed in her novel Girls of Riyadh. In the novel she reveals the life of women
in Saudi Arabia especially in Riyadh. She makes a close up view of the patriarchal society in which women seem to have no choice but to accept their destiny built
by the culture and the society. Yet these women still have a wish for a reformation. Al-Saena
wants to show the reader that some women in Saudi Arabia are wishing for a reform without destroying their religion and cultural values.
As she said in her note in the novel,
I hope you will see, too, that little by little some of these women are beginning to carve out their own way not the Western way, but one that
keeps what is good about the values of their religion and culture, while allowing for reform 2005: viii
There are four main characters in the novel. They are friends and all of them live in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Each of them experiences similar problems.
They live the life of Arabic women and accept all rules under the domination of men. Some of them accept the arranged marriage that end in a divorce and others
should break their relationship because the men they love are forced to marry another woman due to family pride.
Deep inside, these four women are against all rules of the society and culture. They want to be free in living their life, and choose their life partner. Each
character shows a different reaction toward the discrimination that they experience. Some of them show a frontal reaction towards the discriminations,
while another shows their reaction through their speech.
B. Problem Formulation
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