Women in Saudi Arabia get the vote

[PamBeesly]

Women in Saudi Arabia are going to get the vote and will be allowed to contest the election in municipal elections

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15052030

A step in the right direction for womens' rights or just tokenism?

[WillieWaggledagger]

it;s a start

[winnybella]

Wow.

Step in the right direction, I think.

[bibbitybobbityhat]

Gosh! Had no idea this was on the cards. Excellent.

[edd1337]

Good. Now it's time they stop getting beaten with sticks for wearing the wrong shoes

[bemybebe]

I have posted no the other thread also. I would have happily welcomed Saudi into the XX century, only they are still in the MiddleAges with respect of women's rights.

Standalone right to vote or to be voted for is not significant enough if a person is not allowed to carry out normal activities that are permitted to everyone else. And the basis of this discrimination is ONLY having the vagina.

SWT "The vote is never tokenism."

Completely and profoundly disagree with you. In a country where there are no free and fair elections (elections are not just the putting the cross on the ballot, but also delevoping the policy, the political campagning, etc) giving "a vote" but no resources that go with being elected into the office is ablsolutely "tokenism".

[bemybebe]

Shit. Sorry for the typos. I hope you do get the gist.

[thechairmanmeow]

it's afghanistan where women got beaten for wearing white shoes. that was under the taliban, whose flag was white.
women in saudi may not drive a car or even be in a car without a male chaperone.
i have to agree with bemybebe, whats the point in voteing in saudi when only the family of al saud who are of turkish stock, despised by their arab subjects and backed and kept in power by the americans in return for cheap oil, will never reliquish power.

[PamBeesly]

I see giving the vote, in this instance, as both and just wanted to garner further opinion. On one hand of course its a step in the right direction but because of all the other restrictions placed on women it means too little to be anything meaningful right now. There would have to be a complete shift in attitudes and there would have to be legislation brought forward to protect women, I don't think I'll see equality for women in my lifetime.

[scottishmummy]

its a step in right direction,and acknowledgement of cultural prejudice.still,long way to go.but start nonetheless

[ThePosieParker]

Gosh it's a start, isn't it? At least to acknowledge that women exist politically even if it doesn't alter the price of fish, it's something.

[alexpolismum]

A step in the right direction!

With any luck the next step will be to tackle this sort of problem

[PamBeesly]

When I see this www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15079620 it makes me think that giving them the vote is purely tokenistic

[ThePosieParker]

She got ten lashes for that.... 2011, can you believe it?

[PamBeesly]

I would like to repeatedly drive over the person who gave her the lashes with my car.

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

one step forward, two steps back

[caramelwaffle]

One step forward..