Saudi Youth: Unveiling the Force for Change

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been spared the unrest that recently swept many of its neighbors in the Middle East. Although many perceive that the Saudi royal family has maintained a high degree of both legitimacy and stability, the country faces many of the same socioeconomic ills that helped spark uprisings elsewhere in the region: a massive youth bulge, high unemployment, an education gap, and gender inequality. Up until now, young Saudis largely ignored calls for public protests. Yet with over 60 percent of the population under the age of 30, shifting attitudes among youth will help determine Saudi Arabia’s course over the next decade and beyond.

With this in mind, Women without Borders, a Vienna-based non-governmental organization, conducted a series of surveys targeting nearly 4,500 university students in Riyadh, Al Qassem, Dammam, and Jeddah. The surveys, conducted over a two-year period prior to the political changes now sweeping the Arab world, explored young male and female attitudes toward a wide range of social issues, including changing relationships between tradition, religion, family, and gender dynamics.

The findings help shed light on the attitudes of young Saudis and underscore the interconnection between education, labor, and gender-related challenges that will demand creative thinking on the part of the Saudi government in the years ahead. One of the key findings of the survey is how much diversity there is among both male and female populations. The popular view in the West is that Saudi men want to keep things precisely as they are, while women are anxious for change. The survey suggests significant pockets of support for change among young Saudi men, and support for conservatism among young Saudi women, especially on sensitive issues.

For the last several years, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has acknowledged the need to address Saudi Arabia’s social challenges. Most notably, the King has promoted greater equality for women by providing greater access to higher education and widening space for public debate on women’s issues and the role of women in Saudi society. Most recently, the King promised that women will be allowed to participate in the Shura (Consultative) Council, and to vote and run for municipal elections starting in 2015.

While many believe that King Abdullah genuinely supports greater women’s rights, one analyst has noted privately that fostering a debate over gender issues has also allowed the regime to stem a wider debate on political reform. Women’s issues do not pose a direct threat to the royal family, as do questions of power distribution and accountability. The domestic costs of allowing debate on gender are relatively low, and so far the payout for the regime has been high.

This strategy may have been sufficient in the past, but as deeper challenges spurred by regional political change rise to the surface—in particular a massive youth bulge, high unemployment, and shifting attitudes toward gender equality—it will be difficult for the Saudi government to contain this explosive mix in the future. The Women without Borders survey’s findings suggest the need for deeper engagement on the part of the Saudi government in addressing the needs of Saudi Arabia’s young population.

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By Dr. Edit Schlaffer and Dr. Ulrich Kropiunigg

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