Many Saudi females would probably not be given permission to attend a gathering like the one Bill Gates spoke at. ;-)
Look, nobody is saying that Saudi women are dying to throw off their abayas, move to Redmond, WA and become IT engineers for Mr. Gates.
I think their applause indicates that many of the (presumably) more modern, educated women in Saudi feel as if they are marginalized in their own country and afforded fewer opportunities -- when they are actually ambitious and hungry for more.
And veris -- I am not trying to equate third world African countries with the Gulf states. But both regions -- and indeed every region around the world -- certainly have issues of institutionalized gender inequality that need to be addressed.
"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."
-- Maya Angelou
Many Saudi females would probably not be given permission to attend a gathering like the one Bill Gates spoke at. ;-)
Look, nobody is saying that Saudi women are dying to throw off their abayas, move to Redmond, WA and become IT engineers for Mr. Gates.
I think their applause indicates that many of the (presumably) more modern, educated women in Saudi feel as if they are marginalized in their own country and afforded fewer opportunities -- when they are actually ambitious and hungry for more.
And veris -- I am not trying to equate third world African countries with the Gulf states. But both regions -- and indeed every region around the world -- certainly have issues of institutionalized gender inequality that need to be addressed.
"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise."
-- Maya Angelou