ERIC Number: EJ852310
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Jun-17
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1068-2341
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Gender-Segregated Education in Saudi Arabia: Its Impact on Social Norms and the Saudi Labor Market
Baki, Roula
Education Policy Analysis Archives, v12 n28 Jun 2004
This article examines the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's gender-segregated higher education system and how it is used to transmit the Kingdom's traditional societal expectations to the employment sector. With Saudi Arabia's current need for economic change, the education system is retarding instead of accelerating reform. A background consisting of Saudi Arabian history, governing laws, religious beliefs and women's roles is examined. I then discuss the education system's preservation goal by considering segregation, women's mobility, videoconferencing courses, and the roles of professors. I attempt to explain how the current education system fails to prepare its students for the global economy: by limiting women's access to the labor market, and by not preparing men for the realities of the global market and therefore creating the need for migrant workers. In conclusion, conserving culture is significant, but for economic change to occur, the extent of cultural conservatism and its effect on the education system need to be re-evaluated.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Females, Global Approach, Labor Market, Migrant Workers, Economic Change, Foreign Countries, Behavior Standards, Social Behavior, Cultural Influences, Religious Factors, Islam, Educational Environment, Teleconferencing, Gender Issues, Educational Policy, Policy Analysis, Single Sex Colleges, Womens Education, Traditionalism, Resistance to Change, Gender Bias, Barriers
Colleges of Education at Arizona State University and the University of South Florida. c/o Editor, USF EDU162, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620-5650. Tel: 813-974-3400; Fax: 813-974-3826; Web site: http://epaa.asu.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Saudi Arabia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A