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[buravirgil]

Yeah, I should have been explicit. I was referring to what conversations I was privy to on a compound:

The physical conditions of the men's vs. women's schools. The glee of taking off an abaya after crossing into Jordan. The scrutiny of matawa and their bullhorns and the fit of an abaya as our teachers crossed a threshold to a waiting bus.

Saudi women...well that's nuanced between perceptions of freedom and societal roles. Some of our teachers noted infantilized behaviors from mature women. Another observation was of female students and their intense romantization/naivete of their future roles as wives and mothers. I've posted before with what proficiency female students are possessed due to limited choices: They composed poetry (in addition to their study), while our male students were motivated to complete clozures between naps induced by a more nocturnal schedule.

I was fortunate enough to have met a woman, a military brat, years before working in Saudi Arabia. She described some paradoxes. Such as how women-only parties were hella fun, veritable fashion shows, and without the default of a self-consciousness when men are about. Much like a girls' school. She cited that in a public sphere, she felt safer in Saudi than the west in terms of predation.

Scrutiny versus safety...paradoxical indeed. For a native, it's my belief such scrutiny is accepted through a range: from expected and desired (a regard, or respect) to oppression. To what degree, if any, agency is a matter of perception is pointedly debated in the west.