2016年经济学人 沙特阿拉伯的女人们

 

Women in Saudi Arabia

沙特阿拉伯的女人们

One step forward, one step back

进一步，退一步

Progress for women is going into reverse under the new king

在新任国王的统治下，女性地位的进步又倒退了

WHEN Hind¹ Al-Otaibi went to the Riyadh Personal Status Court to have her father struck out as her wali, or guardian², the judges seemed sympathetic. Her father had raped³ and bruised⁴ her, Ms Otaibi, who was a teenager at the time, told the court. He refused to let her travel abroad, even to her mother's funeral, and when she escaped from home had persuaded social services to send her back. After consideration, the judges determined⁵ last year that her father, an imam from the Saudi interior of Nejd, remained her legal guardian; but that a guardian only had powers to approve his ward's marriage. If upheld on appeal, the ruling could topple the legal edifice⁶ of male control, depriving walis of their power over whether their women can study, work, travel or open bank accounts. “Emancipation from slavery,” says Ms Otaibi.

当欣德·奥黛比在利雅得的 Personal Status Court（类似于国内的民事法庭，处理离婚等案件）请求去除父亲的斡里或监护人的身份时，法官们似乎很同情。当时还是青少年的奥黛比在法庭上控诉父亲强奸并虐待她。她父亲拒绝让她出国，即使是去母亲的葬礼也不允许。当奥黛比从家中逃出来时，他父亲说服当地社会服务机构将她遣回。她的父亲是沙地中部省份内志的一位伊玛目。在经过慎重考虑之后，去年法官们最终决定保留其父的法定监护人地位。但只是在被监护人的婚姻上拥有监护权。如果法庭支持上诉的话，那么男性控制的法律体系将会颠覆，他们对于女子是否能够学习，工作，旅游或开户的决定权将被剥夺。正如奥黛比说的“从奴役中得到解放”。

In recent years, the lot of Saudi women has improved. An increasing number of malls, gated communities and even private beaches, where women swap⁷ burqinis (the all-enveloping swimwear Saudi women must wear) for bikinis, were put off-limits to the prying⁸ eyes of the religious police. The government sent tens of thousands of women abroad to study in Western universities, where they could experience the freedom of moving, dressing⁹ and driving as they pleased. Those left behind could gawp at the gap between their own world and the virtual one to which many Saudis escape for hours every day.

近年来，沙特阿拉伯女性们的命运有了一定的改善。越来越多的商场，封闭式社区甚至一些私人游泳池也规定那些探头探脑的宗教警察禁止入内，在那里女性可以用比基尼代替全裹泳衣（沙特女性游泳时必须穿的全裹的泳衣）。政府派出了上万的女性去欧洲大学留学，在那里他们可以享受活动自由，穿着和驾车自由。那些留在国内的女性可以想象自己所处的世界和那些沙特人整日整夜幻想的世界的区别。

Armed with doctorates¹⁰, many have returned to prize open the job market. In 2012 the courts licensed¹¹ their first female lawyer. Last December women for the first time stood for election to local councils. Bayan al-Zahran, a lawyer in Jeddah, has set up the first female-led law firm, and law faculties¹² in women's colleges churn out fresh attorneys.

很多拥有博士学位的人回国之后得到就业市场的青睐。2012年法院给第一位女性律师颁发了资格证书。去年12月，妇女们第一次参与到当地委员会的竞选当中。吉达的一位律师巴扬·札赫兰成立了第一家女性领导的律师事务所，女子学院的法律系也培养出了大量的新人律师。

The numbers, though, remain paltry¹³. Only 18% of working-age Saudi women work (against 65% of men), one of the world's lowest rates. And for all the headlines, the kingdom has only 67 female lawyers (out of 3,400), and 21 female councillors (out of 3,150). Female lawyers say they have to contend with judges who tell them to sit down when they stand up to represent clients. But over time the taboos¹⁴ on women in public life seem to fraying¹⁵. “Women are better at representing other women because women natter more than men, and women understand them better,” says Judge Faisal Orani, fresh from sentencing a whisky-drinker to 80 lashes¹⁶. He opposes the introduction of female judges, he says, “but over time, anything can change. Maybe I'll change too.”

但这些数字微不足道。只有18%正值工龄的妇女在工作（相比之下，男性有65%），这是世界上女性工作最低的比例之一。而且从各大新闻标题中可以看到，这个国家只有67名女性律师（共有3400名律师），21为女性议员（共有3150名议员）。女性律师说道，当她们需要代表辩护人站起来申诉时，法官却告诉她们必须坐着，为此女律师不得不与法官作斗争。但是随着时间的推移，女性在公众生活上的一些禁忌似乎渐渐削弱。刚刚判处一名饮威士忌的市民80鞭刑的法官费萨尔·奥拉尼说道：“妇女是代表他们自己的不二人选，因为她们比男人唠叨，而且她们更了解女人。我反对启用女法官。但是时间一长任何事情都会改变，也许我自己也会改变。”

The kingdom's joyless gender¹⁷ segregation¹⁸ persists. Banks maintain separate entrances for men and women, Starbucks restricts women from its open-air balcony and McDonald's makes men and women queue separately for its burgers.

这个国家的性别隔离依旧存在。银行依旧保留着分开的男女通道，星巴克不让女性坐在露天的阳台上，到麦当劳排队买汉堡的男女要分开排队。

1 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

2 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

3 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

4 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 edifice   

n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室)

参考例句：

• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。
• There is a huge Victorian edifice in the area.该地区有一幢维多利亚式的庞大建筑物。

7 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

8 prying   

adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开

参考例句：

• I'm sick of you prying into my personal life! 我讨厌你刺探我的私生活！
• She is always prying into other people's affairs. 她总是打听别人的私事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

10 doctorates   

n.博士学位( doctorate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nearly 1,000 specialized personnel with doctorates have settled in Shenzhen. 现已引进博士学位的专门人才近千名。 来自互联网
• John played the field academically, obtaining doctorates from several universities. 约翰的学术广博，他从几所大学拿到了博士学位。 来自互联网

11 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

12 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 paltry   

adj.无价值的，微不足道的

参考例句：

• The parents had little interest in paltry domestic concerns.那些家长对家里鸡毛蒜皮的小事没什么兴趣。
• I'm getting angry;and if you don't command that paltry spirit of yours.我要生气了，如果你不能振作你那点元气。

14 taboos   

禁忌( taboo的名词复数 )； 忌讳； 戒律； 禁忌的事物（或行为）

参考例句：

• She was unhorsed by fences, laws and alien taboos. 她被藩蓠、法律及外来的戒律赶下了马。
• His mind was charged with taboos. 他头脑里忌讳很多。

15 fraying   

v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The cuffs of his shirt were fraying. 他衬衣的袖口磨破了。
• Support for the leader was fraying at the edges. 对这位领导人的支持已经开始瓦解。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 lashes   

n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

18 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。