Neo-Gender Balancing in Saudi Arabia Divorce under Social Exchange Theory

Abstract

The recent and unprecedented reforms introduced by the Saudi government have touched and changed many aspects of the Saudi society. Among the new and open-minded policies that have so affected life for Saudi women and granted them rights they have long been deprived of such are the freedom to drive and the ability to travel without a close relative male guardian. The guardian authority no longer exists in the kingdom, which gives women more power to choose. Also, family law related to financial affairs and custody have been changed in favour women by making them equal to men. The new laws have truly empowered Saudi women and have given them a wider access to the job market. The major premise of this proposal is that such changes in the gender power balance predictably and understandably impact the formation of the Saudi family. With the new social system, Saudi women have more power in the equation; and are no longer totally depended on her husband. They can leave the relationship if they do not feel satisfied. Thus, it is not surprising to see an increase in divorce rates to be 168 cases per day in 2022. In this paper, Richard Emerson's social exchange theory, will be used to analyse the balancing in the exchange relations between men and women in Saudi Arabia. Based on Emerson, an exchange relation is balanced if both parties are equally dependent on each other for exchange (or resources of value). If they are equally dependent, they have equal power. The central idea that power is based on dependence allows for the specification of ways in which dependencies are altered, so that they affect the balance of power in the exchange relation and in networks of exchange relations. Studying the balancing of the relationship extends the financial and social fact to analyse the role of social media in forming gender rules in Saudi Arabia.