Descriptive Analysis of Poverty in Saudi Arabia

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Poverty in Saudi Arabia
Introduction
Reports have shown that Saudi Arabia is among the world's top countries with the lowest poverty rates. According to a study conducted in 2017, Saudi Arabia was ranked as the 10th country with the lowest poverty rate globally. Its global poverty rate stood at 12.7% in 2017. However, some critics have argued that a lack informs the lowest poverty rate in Saudi Arabia of government statics concerning the country's poverty situation. Nevertheless, even with the government failing to produce statistical data concerning the country's poverty levels, one thing that remains true is that the country has some level of poverty. 60% of Saudis who reside in the nation's urban areas cannot afford to house. This figure is quite big considering that close to 80% of Saudi's live in urban areas. This paper, therefore, highlights some of the main causes of poverty in Saudi Arabia.
Causes of Poverty in Saudi Arabia
Several elements associated with poverty in Saudi Arabia boil down to discrimination as the primary cause of poverty. One form of discrimination that is cited as a cause of poverty in the Middle East country of Saudi Arabia is gender discrimination. One element of gender discrimination in Saudi Arabia is the guardianship system. The guardianship system requires women in Saudi to either produce guardians’ permission before being employed or allowed to travel (Eliebid, et al., 1). Such restrictions, therefore, hiders women's chances of being active in Saudi's labor force. Secondly, the Islamic law that requires men to be the providers of financial needs for their families has also placed women in an awkward position (Benevenuto and Brian, 116). For instance, in cases where women lose their husbands, they are left to struggle with no experience in their quest to secure a job.
The rift between the Shia and the Sunni sects of the Islamic communities in Saudi Arabia has also highlighted another angle of discrimination that has promoted the rise of poverty in the country. The federal go...