Fahd Bin Jolaid
We Saudis usually comply with rules when we are in another country and even boast about it, whereas while in the Kingdom we often break our own rules.
I was standing in a line at the reception desk of a hotel in a Gulf country. I had placed my key card in the same pocket as my cell phone and the data on the magnetic strip was erased. I wanted the receptionist to fix the problem so I could go up to my room. This had happened to me several times before and the receptionist knew why I was standing in the line. I did not even need to tell him what the problem was, I just handed over the card to him and he fixed it and gave it back to me.
While waiting, two young women jumped the line and went straight to the receptionist. They showed no respect for the people waiting. There was a Western lady standing in the line who appeared annoyed. One of the two women whispered to the other to speak English so that no one would know which country they came from. I heard them talking because I was close to them.
I thought to myself that there was no need to speak in a different language since we Saudis are the ones who invented the phrase “ladies first.” We live by this rule. Our society does not let women stand in a line and allows them to go to the front so that they can get what they want and go back home to take care of their children. In fact, “ladies first” in our society is based on the notion that women belong at home and should be given priority when standing in a line, as if there was something wrong with a woman standing in a line at a government office or anywhere else.
However, the position of women in our society has changed, and today they are viewed as equals. They can go out daily, travel alone, demand their rights and are no longer viewed as weak human beings who should not leave home. Despite this change, our society is still controlled by the notion of “ladies first.” This is one of our traits that has been passed down to us from previous generations and it seems that we will pass it down to the next. Saudi women are smart and they know how to take advantage of this situation. The problem arises when they believe that they have the right to receive the same treatment outside the Kingdom.
