task 4 activity 1

1.

1. I feel that the women in Saudi Arabia are treated very unfairly. They are treated like animals. This shows that Saudi Arabia has a very sexist approach to life in the country. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with women driving cars. It is not like they have committed any serious offence such as arson or theft. The world today is very different from the past, so I feel that Saudi Arabians should change the way they think of and treat women in their country. The world has changed and they should change too.

2. I feel that social media has been an advantage to the women in Saudi Arabia. Social media has enabled the women in Saudi Arabia to reach out to the general public much more easily than conventional methods such as passing out flyers or staging demonstrations. This may help them to get the support they need to change the government.

3. I feel that there should be a compromise between law and religion. The government and religious leaders could meet up and discuss policies and laws to come to a win-win situation. It is important that the rulers a nation and the people who comprise the nation come to a mutual agreement. Without an agreement, there would be a lot of unrest and conflict in the country.

4. Different countries have different ways of treating women. There is a trend that as country develops and industrialises further, more rights are given to women and they are treated more fairly. Thus, most countries today treat men and women equally. For example, in Singapore, there are very few instances of sexism. However, in the less developed countries, more freedom is given to men than women, like in Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to vote, or even drive a car. It is the men who make all the decision for the women, instead of women making decisions for themselves. Therefore, in less developed countries, there is constant discrimination against women.

Extension activity

2. I somewhat disagree with the statement that women make good leaders.

Firstly, it is undeniable that most leaders are men. For example, in Singapore, almost all the cabinet ministers are men. The president and prime minister have always been men in Singapore. Thus, it would not be good if a woman was to be a leader.

Secondly, women are influenced in decision making mainly by emotion, as compared to men who are influenced mostly by facts and logic. Women are generally more indecisive and are not harsh in their words. They often do not take a firm stand. In this way, the civilians would doubt their ability to lead a country well as they are not firm in their decisions.

Thirdly, as women are generally nicer and not so violent, during a war, a female leader may not be able to lead a country into battle, even if the enemy was about to stage an invasion. They may want to have peace talks with the enemy, but when an invasion is imminent, the top priority is to obviously prepare for battle. A woman may also not be able strategise and plan the use of war resources and soldiers as well as a man, as they are generally inexperienced in that area.

However, I also agree with the statement that women are more patient and in their work, thus they make good leaders. For example, women are better at diplomatic relations. They are able to build up better relationships with other countries than men could. The patience that women usually possess helps them in getting their message across.

Therefore, I somewhat disagree with the statement that women make good leaders.