Sociology

There are many similarities and differences between English and Saudi Arabian society but according to each societys gender roles, penal system and charities, the most prominent distinction is their severity with people. In terms of gender, for instance, male and female British citizens have more power to compete with each other in the workplace, given the improving status of women since World War II. In Saudi Arabia, women are severely limited in their career choice, with the majority of them forced to pursue teaching and nursing careers. In terms of the penal system, UK and Saudi Arabia both have internationally accepted incarceration facilities, but Saudi Arabia has weekly beadings whereas capital punishment has long been abolished in the UK. Finally, in terms of charities, both nations give donations to different causes. The British donor pool is shrinking while the Saudi donor pool is deceived to give to Islamist extremist groups. Looking at the characteristics of these two economically sturdy nations, the difference in severity with people may be attributed to their culture and politics more than anything else.

Gender Roles in English Society
World War II had significant effects not just on British society, but on the whole European society. Unemployment ended since millions of men were withdrawn from the work force to fight for their countries. The skyrocketing demand for wartime products created jobs for everyone, even women. Women took over many jobs and responsibilities that the men in the battlefield left behind. These opportunities were not open to them before, but they were free to take advantage of them in the absence of men. For example, in Britain, the number of women who worked in banking rose from 9,500 to about 64,000 during the war.

Generally speaking, the position of women in British society has improved over the decades. Still, there is ongoing debate as to just how much men and women are now equal in the United Kingdom. There are thinkers who assert that women are now fully emancipated, while others who cite unequal wages and domestic violence say women still have a long way to catch up to the status of men for the two genders to be equal. In English society, more men are in paid employment than women, although the gap is steadily closing. Women oftentimes have to leave paid employment to bear and look after their children. It is also known that much of the increase in the paid employment of women has to do with part-time work. Unfortunately, on average, part-time workers are poorly paid and they only have a few fringe benefits, such as redundancy payments and pensions.

In English society, boys are supposed to be outgoing and aggressive, demanding and strong while girls are supposed to be obedient and gentle or neat and tidy. These gender stereotypes are encouraged early on by adults surrounding children through the use of different reward and punishment methods. For instance, gender stereotypes can be reinforced by the toys children use, the books they read or the television programs they watch. While books are not as stereotypical with gender compared to their counterparts 20 years ago, they still socialize readers into behaviors and attitudes appropriate for their sex.

Gender Roles in Saudi Arabian Society
Even before its foundation in the early 1900s, Saudi Arabia has been a patriarchal society where males dominate women. According to tradition, the oldest male in a Saudi extended family becomes the head of the family, whether hes a father or a brother. Women generally hold a secondary position, even according to the law. For instance, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia and sons typically have more freedom than daughters. There is also gender segregation even in the home. When a guest visits a family, for example, all members of each gender must go to their respective living room areas. Most homes have separate living room areas for men and women. Both these rooms have separate restrooms and entrances.

Women in Saudi Arabia have few opportunities for employment and career growth because of the highly unequal gender relations. In 1990, Saudi women only constituted 7 percent of the total labor force, with only the United Arab Emirates (UAE) scoring lower. In Saudi Arabia, there are no technical or professional training programs available to women. Since most of them major in social science or humanities subjects, their lack of skills hinders their employment. Most females are employed in nursing and teaching fields, but even in these fields, the government imposes a quote for female hires. According to a Saudi Arabian decree, Saudi Arabian women should be prevented from working in all spheres except nursing and female schools. Women and adolescent girls are prohibited by law to work with men, so their position in society hardly improves.

Most Saudi women stay in the home as housewives. Daughters help their mothers take care of their brothers and other male relatives. Males on the other hand, have most of the paid jobs and their deeds at the workplace and in the home are more frequently rewarded. Women are severely restrained in public, such that when a girl reaches puberty, her family would likely require her to go out accompanied by a male relative wherever she decides to go. She is also expected to avoid men whom she doesnt know on her way to her destination.

The Penal System in English Society
The British prison system is run by Her Majestys Penal Service (HMPS), the executive agency that reports to the Home Office. The purpose of HMPS is to serve the public by keeping prisoners who are convicted by courts. The agency vows to treat inmates with humanity and help them lead productive lives while they are in custody and after they are released. The British penal system holds approximately 85,000 inmates, which is huge if one considers the small landmass of Britain.

More people are incarcerated in England and Wales than anywhere else in Western Europe. The result is overcrowding in prisons, which leads to increased violence and greatest cost to the British public. It also pushes the government to grant earlier paroles. Most inmates serve time for violent offenses while the second-highest group serves time for drug-related offenses. In addition, the United Kingdom has the most number of inmates serving life sentences in the entire Western Europe.

A person who is found guilty in the UK for a first criminal offence may not be punished or he may be placed on probation for a specified period time under the supervision of probation officers. If punished, he may be imprisoned or fined according to the severity of the crime and his history of convictions. There are also some people who receive community service as punishment instead of incarceration. The death penalty was abolished in 1965 although there have been multiple attempts in the House of Commons to restore it. Polls indicate that only one in four Britons want to restore capital punishment for murder, although they support the harsh treatment of prisoners.

The Penal System in Saudi Arabian Society
According to the State Department, prisons in Saudi Arabia generally meet international standards, and many of them provide good nutrition, air-conditioned cells and regular exercise to prisoners. Prison guards also carefully patrol cells. However, some jails in police stations are unsanitary and overcrowded. Accordingly, the government conducts closed trials for people who are suspected political prisoners. There are also reports that authorities detain people who criticize the government, claiming that they are destabilizers. Compared to many developing countries, charges of poor prison conditions and torture are much more rare in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to regular criminals, Saudi Arabia also have political detainees although its impossible to assess how many since the government does not release official figures. During Ramadan, the government regularly releases several prisoners through amnesty, and some of them apparently have political backgrounds. For example, in January 1999, Saudi Arabia released more than 7,000 detainees and prisoners, including more than 3,000 foreigners who were convicted or detained for minor offenses.

Along with imprisonment, fines and other regular punishment, Saudi Arabia implements the death penalty. Most executions involve foreign nationals although the state doesnt hesitate to execute citizens if necessary. The government proclaims its absolute authority through public executions on a weekly basis, usually by beheading on Fridays. Most people who are executed are alleged criminals, though Abdullah al-Hudhaif, a political prisoner, was executed in 1995.

Charities in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has many charities but historically, it has been easier to raise funds for education or sick children that it has to obtain funding for homelessness or shortage of food supply in the Third World. Many schools and hospitals have also registered as charities in the country. Donors typically develop a special bond or relationship with their chosen charities and they are more likely to give more in the future once they start giving.

Over the decades however, many British charities have found it increasingly difficult to raise funds. British households are more retrained in supporting charities. Despite the shrinking pool of donors, the number of British charities continues to grow. According to the trend, donors find the most recent charities more attractive than older ones.

Charities in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has a long history of private and public charity typically given to non-profit organizations informally on a personal basis. Muslims who have enough money are obligated to give a charity of Zakat, which is 2.5 percent of their income, although many people give much higher contributions, sometimes close to 10 percent.

Saudis usually give money to Islamic charities that they deem to be legitimate, such as struggles in Kosovo, Bosnia and Afghanistan. However, many Saudis give unwittingly, unaware that these organizations are actually Islamist extremist groups or other violent groups with political purposes. In fact, there is reason to believe that the poorly controlled flow of money outside Saudi Arabia is more to blame for Islamic extremism than missionary efforts and religious thinking among citizens.

Conclusion
Differences and similarities between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabias gender roles, penal system and charity reveal that Saudi Arabia is more severe with its people. This can be seen in the wider unequal status between men and women and the weekly beheadings among others. This difference can be attributed to each countrys culture and politics more than anything else. The United Kingdom is more secular and has a more developed democratic system so people are more free to mingle with each other, whereas Saudi Arabia has a strong religious foundation, which strictly shapes citizens everyday life. Since Saudi Arabia is located in the Middle East and near bloody political conflicts, its also more severe, with its inmates, too, especially political prisoners. Saudi Arabias proximity to violent nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan is also affecting the flow of charitable money in the country.

Despite the differences between the two, it is clear that both have much to improve UK with its gender stereotypes, prison facilities and donor pool and Saudi Arabia with its gender segregation, punishment of prisoners, and system of charity. Since there are more similarities than differences between the two, they should understand each other perfectly.