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WOMEN in Asir villages do a lot of physical work and help their husbands in daily life. Women in these villages lead a tough life that has made them strong-willed and braver and more independent. Most of them drive cars and run short errands around villages. They also help men in farming activities. Some of those women have today daughters who have received high education and become big businesswomen while some have become successful businesswomen despite not receiving any college education, Al-Riyadh daily reported.
Noura Al-Sebaee lives in one of the villages. Whenever she wishes to visit her relatives who live in another village not far away, she takes her husband’s car. Many women in these villages know how to drive around when their husbands and sons are not around to give them a ride. Al-Sebaee said she only drives the car when there is an emergency situation.
Col. Tareq Al-Rebai’an, Traffic Department spokesman, confirmed that some village women drive cars but they do this in remote areas, not inside cities.
“These are exceptional cases. If a traffic officer spots a woman driving, he will immediately pull her over and call her male guardian to come. The car will be confiscated,” he warned.
Business
Fatima A. lives in one of the villages and was divorced when she was only 25 years old. She never thought that her husband would divorce her. It was a shock. She only had completed her elementary education. She encountered several difficulties and had to provide for her children and take care of them at the same time. She did not have a job and her youngest son was a month old while the oldest was 12 years old.
“I decided to find a job. I worked for few years and raised money to invest it in a small tourism project, which grew slowly and made a lot of profits. Step by step, I bought real estate and started a small business and I am now going to start a new business soon. Not having a husband has not stopped me from being a successful businesswoman,” she said.
Helping one another
Ahmed Abu Dahman, a well-known Asir novelist, said men and women need one another.
Women living in villages all over the world tend to help their men folk in almost all daily tasks. Village men will always need their wives to be close to them and help them and do not want them to sit at home taking care of household chores.
“Village women usually hold on strong to the traditional values that were instilled in them by their fathers and mothers,” he said.
Dr. Attallah Al-Abbar, a psychiatrist and family counselor, said the environment has a big impact on forming the personality of men and women. One tends to hold on strong to the traditional values and customs of the place where he was born and raised.
In general, people who live in the South Region rely heavily on women to help them do many things. Besides, Asir women have strong personality, persevering, patient, hard-working and have big pride in her family members and traditional values.
