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Women are forbidden to talk to men they are not related to, unless it is unavoidable and entirely impersonal. Small talk is not allowed. Because of the fear of dishonor and shame, all families and the government enforce segregation in all sectors and areas of society. Hospitals are divided into two sections, one for men and one for women. Women have separate waiting sections, female secretaries, janitors, nurses...etc., men deal only with men. Post offices and banks have separate lines for men and women. All schools are segregated and only women teach female students while only men teach male students, but women's colleges can have male professors. However, the workplace is slowly changing and women are increasingly appearing in mixed-sex environments (Reuters, UAE Women Bring Traffic to a Hault). Because interaction between the sexes is not allowed in school or outside it, young men are usually seen following women in the malls, or in their cars if they see only women in a car. This has become a big problem and the government has now enforced rules against "eve teasing." (Gulf News, Women Who Suffer in Silence). Women-only malls now exist in major U.A.E. cities (The Times of India, UAE Women Relax and Shop in Man-Free Zone). In the regular malls, men who are caught by police are shaved and their pictures appear in local newspapers. This is a deterrant for men because the process brings shame to the offending man and his family, and makes him less marriagable. However, it is common practice for Gulf men to write down their phone numbers on small pieces of paper and sneak them to women they walk by in the mall. Sometimes, the woman accepts the phone number and calls the man in secret (Gulf News, A Tragic Victim of Changing Lifestyles). Friendship between men and women who are not related is a concept that does not exist. All relationships between unrelated men and women are considered sexual in nature, and women who are caught in these relationships can be punished severely by male relatives. Being suspected of such a relationship alone can have severe consequences for a woman, married or unmarried. Punishment means that the woman is no longer allowed to leave her home for any reason, pick up the phone, or even leave her home. She is almost always verbally abused and often physically as well. While laws exist against such treatment and women may file abuse complaints with the police, women refrain from doing so because appearing in a police station may bring shame to a woman's family (1997 Human Rights Report: United Arab Emirates). |
