Gender Roles in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (PowerPoint Presentation Sample)

Gender Roles in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Gender Roles in the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia
The media around us passes critical messages that revolve around certain matters in the world through particular artifacts. For instance, the film industry has been critical in bringing out several issues that depict the current situations in our societies. The world is still evolving, and some societies are still lagging behind in matters that bring oppression to certain groups. The role of women as assigned by the society has been an issue of debate for a long time. Currently, many societies have acknowledged that a woman is as crucial and endowed as a man. As such, the treatment of women has improved tremendously. Many societies have assigned equal treatment to women just like men. However, some societies still lag behind and assign archaic duties to women. In film “Wadjda,” the role of gender in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is reviewed.
Wadjda is a 2012 film produced in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The film had the first female director from Saudi Arabia, Haifaa Al-Mansour. The film portrays a female lead character whose sheer determination helps her achieve her dream of acquiring a bicycle. Wadjda is the little girl who dreams of acquiring a green bicycle to compete with her male friend, Abdulla. Since her parents cannot buy the idea, she decides to engage in several endeavors to generate money to buy the bicycle. In the end, Wadjda enrolls in a Quran reciting competition where she wins the competition. However, the school decides to use the money for charity after she announces that she would use the money to buy a bicycle. However, her mother buys the bicycle for her and gets to compete with Abdulla. Wadjda won the racing competition against Abdulla, making her dreams come true.
The movie communicates critical aspects of gender roles in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which can be broken down into the concepts of ideologies on gender, gender representation, and the target audience for the message.
Representation
In the film Wadjda, gender is represented as a source of differentiation and the ability to enjoy some privileges in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Women are represented as individuals who need to be monitored and their activities heavily regulated. For instance, the riding of bicycles is restricted to men only. Women are only allowed to ride bicycles under special conditions where the male relatives are present and dressing code is fully adhered to. Men, on the other hand, are assigned a lot of freedom and have all the authority against women. Therefore, a great disparity exists between the roles of gender assigned to women and men in the film context.
Ideology
Wadjda is a film that portrays the several ideologies that are at play in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For instance, patriarchy is a well-portrayed ideology in the film. Women are put under the rule of man and are seen as weaker beings. As such, they are kept on guard by the men. Women are not allowed to drive or ride bicycles, a reason Wadjda finds it hard to convince anyone to buy her one. The lead character, on the other hand, advocates for the feminist ideology. The little girl is bale to defy the popular view on women. By acquiring a bicycle and beating a male rider, she helps in redefining the role patriarchal view on women in the country.
Audience
Gender inequality is a challenge that faces many countries. In the Middle East, for instance, women are viewed as weaker beings to men. As such, the treatment of women is very different to that of men. Other societies still treat women as second fiddle to men. The film, therefore, plays an important role in conveying a message to these societies that women have the potential to engage in the same activities that their male counterparts take part in.
The Feminist Theory
The film Wadjda is instrumental in portraying feminism as a part of the themes to end the discrimination against women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The feminism ideology posits that a woman is equal to a man and should enjoy all the privileges that the society accords to man. The art...