Husband has been approached about a job in Saudi. Financial it is a very good opportunity and for our family it feels like the right thing to do. Can any one who has lived there give me any feedback? For me this would be an outright no regardless of how much money it may mean. An absolute monarchy where human rights and, in particular, women's rights are routinely suppressed and violated would be no home for me.
I appreciate you may have an easier time as an ex-pat but that doesn't go anywhere near answering the moral issues. I agree it's a very repressive and frightening regime for women and your life will be severely restricted and curtailed. You will not be allowed to work or go out and about in the way you will have been used to and it could be very isolating.
Not for all the tea in China! My brother lives there right now. He has lived and worked in a huge array of muslim countries and is generally very positively disposed to the culture. He is in KSA for "the money". It is not fake dry like sudan etc. It's dry dry. The isolation and oppression is real even in his privileged bubble at a private university he is often lonely.
Not in a million years. Lived there as a child for 5 years. The reason they pay the big bucks is otherwise no one with any sense would work there. Horrific place. Log in to update your newsletter preferences. Having been out to Saudi for some work trips, I would say categorically no.
Or at least, not on a permanent basis, anyway. As a woman I wasn't allowed to extend my hand for a handshake, however I was permitted to accept a handshake if instigated by a man. I worked there in a hospital many years ago in Aramco. I was young and just starting out and it was hard to look away from the very generous salary they were offering me.
