Job Discussion Forums

[zaylahis]

Is the whole country safe for a single woman to live in and to drive around?

[kaw]

As long as you are sensible.........I was there for 2 years - a year in a small town and then one in Muscat/Buraimi. I had no problems at all. None of the people I worked with had any major probs either...

You will however, get stared at - at times and plenty of 'offers' but nothing you shouldn't be able to handle.

[omanized]

Agreed, I would say that you should have no problem at all - in fact you wil probably chuckle to yourself at some point for worrying about it in the first place.

Having said that, it depends on your personal 'radar' - if you are expecting men to harrass you, it might be slightly self-fulfilling and you will assume every man you encounter who is naturally curious about your appearance is harbouring lewd thoughts. Thicken your skin a bit and enjoy the place - it is truly unique and wonderful in many ways. Dress modestly and life is much easier - if you are sashaying (sp?) down the street in a short skirt and halter top with thin straps in the summer heat, then you will be verbally acknowledged !

A thought just popped into my head - is it less threatening when a woman walking in a small town in Italy is verbally accosted by a group of men, young and old than if the same thing happened in the ME ?

thoughts anyone ?

omzd

[denise]

I was in Peru before I came here, and by comparison it's really tame here! I got really sick of the whistles, catcalls, marriage proposals, etc., that came on a regular basis (meaning several times a day in my 20-minute walk to work). Those things do not happen here. I suppose, though, that the difference in dress code also has an effect. In Peru I dressed appropriately for the weather (not in the haltar tops previously mentioned, but still in tank tops and skirts that revealed... gasp! my knees!). Here, with a stricter dress code, there is simply less for men to see.

Still, despite the relative safety, I really don't like walking--because there are occasional comments. Driving, I've had no problems. I even take off my sweater/shawl and drive in a tank top.

Oh, and I'm in Nizwa, which is fairly conservative. In Muscat, you can be more relaxed about your dress--within reason.

d

[veiledsentiments]

All is relative, of course, but I would say that Oman is one of the safest countries in the world for women with the use of normal common sense and respect for the culture. If you are coming from a place like Japan, you may be bothered by the staring. But, if you are coming from somewhere like Italy, Peru, or Egypt, you will almost feel as if you have become invisible.

Most of the staring comes from non-Omanis, and most of the unwanted attention will come from the younger boys 10-13 year old. And it is aggravating rather than dangerous...

VS

[kuberkat]

Like the previous posters, I agree that physical safety is not usually a problem. I must add that several of the Western women in my town have had rocks thrown at them. One of them, who was pelted because she was engaged in the ungodly pursuit of riding a bicycle, whipped out a camera phone to take pictures of the offenders. They invariably scram- pronto.

The Omanis are extremely kind-hearted for the most part, and far too indolent to be a threat.

But there are matters other than safety that can make a woman's life very unpleasant. Like the layers of an onion, I continue to discover new facets of what it means to be a woman in this society. To the credit of my hosts, I must say that it begins with the belief that women are precious and should be treated in a special way. This has many positive manifestations. However, it also means that many of the life choices of many a western woman are considered to be motivated by immoral reasons. You connect the dots. The disdain for women who are not married is not always manifest, but it certainly is at the root of the harrassment you are bound to experience to some extent. It will vary depending on whether you are in the capital or a small town, your age and appearance, but there is no way to avoid it.

For the most part, people here are very kind and polite, but a great many things have shown me that the inherent prejudices are unlikely to die, no matter how good an ambassador you are.

[steppy-boy]

Kuberkat, you have finally seen through Omani society. I can only congratulate you. You no longer belong to the party of naive innocents. I am just amazed at how many Western women are taken in by the lure of Oman and the Omanis. If any Western woman was treated a quarter like this "back home", she would scream "Misogynist, chauvinist!" and take the offending male to task, even to the court. Women have taken men to court just by "looking" at them the wrong way in the office for sexual discrimination. Strangely enough, when Western women live in such a society as Oman (let's say, the "Middle East" because I am afraid to use the "M" word as an adjective), they seem to tolerate much much more. Imagine if you were thrown stones at in down-town Sydney, London or Helsinki? There would be a public and media out-cry. Here, it is "tolerated" because this is the "culture". Wrong is wrong and right is right sweetie, no matter which culture you may be in.

[007]

[veiledsentiments]

Anyone who goes to a traditional Middle Eastern culture and expects it to have the same societal rules as the US or Europe is foolish to begin with. Is there a problem with children who throw rocks in villages in the Middle East, Africa and Asia? Of course and this is nothing new. In the US you have children (and drunks as 007 pointed out) who throw other things at other times. Ever read the stories about kids dropping rocks and such off overpasses (or flyovers if you prefer) in order to try to cause traffic accidents? Neither activity is honorable in either culture...

As to Steppy's high dudgeon that Western women accept the sexism of the Middle East. Yes, we do. It is not our culture and if we don't like it, we can go home. Of course there is the reality that there is not really less sexism, it is just hidden better back home.

But all that is irrelevant to the question - is it safe? Yes, it is still safer than most other places in the world.

VS

[denise]

I see those problems, too (the inherent sexism), and I deal with them by avoiding them. I didn't come here for the culture anyway, so I don't try to immerse myself in it, especially knowing what lies beneath--at least for single foreign women. Maybe it's not healthy to do so, but I just surround myself with other foreigners. I never thought I'd want to live in a foreigner bubble, but it really seems to work here, and it allows Oman to keep its image as a safe place (for women) with friendly people.

d

[dmb]

[zaylahis]

Thanks ladies...your posts have been really educational. Another factor to consider for me. No-one talks of crime as in snatch thiefs, pickpockets etc so it does sound relatively safe!

[Aliskander]

[ and it allows Oman to keep its image as a safe place (for women) with friendly people.

d[/quote]

NEVER a truer word spoken

[veiledsentiments]

Rather than semi-suggestive insults like that, do give us some examples of Western women being raped or murdered or even attacked. One can find plenty of reasons to criticize Oman just as one can of any culture, but as relates to the question of the OP, it has been and is a safe place.

As to purse snatchers or pickpockets... or minor theft, it is still relatively rare. When I first started at SQU back in the late 1980's, one could leave one's bag sitting at a public stairwell and no one would touch it. We never locked our houses or cars... it was like small town US in the 1950's. Those days are gone, but it is still relatively minor with normal vigilance. I don't know anyone who has had their purse grabbed or pocket picked, but I expect that it probably occurs wherever there is a crowd for a festival or in a crowded souq full of tourists.

I think that the biggest problem is still the young boys. They are usually the stone throwers and seem to love to vandalize things - which seems a worldwide proclivity of boys with a behavior problem. Scratching cars is a common hobby... boys are given lots of rope to run wild. Then they move up to semi-fanatical driving which like most gulf countries presents the greatest danger to both expats and locals.

VS

[Gordon]

So what is it with kids throwing rocks? Are they bored?