Demographics and cultural analysis of Saudi Arabia, IKEA

IKEA in Saudi Arabia is retailer where women are not treated as second class citizens as is the norm Arab world. It is evident to realise the fact that women in Saudi Arabia make it to the centre of every conversation concerning the state. Women were recently taken off the catalogue as a way of protecting their sanctity according to the men. The sexuality of women is overrated to the extent that women in Saudi Arabia are more learned than the men but do not have the freedom of using their education in the society. The removal of the women from the catalogue was most likely a way of ensuring that they do not feel empowered and modernised (Chiu & Hofer, 516-538). It is a difficult moment for the IKEA to thrive in Saudi Arabia because, the world is modernising every other day but they do not get the same kind of freedom in Saudi Arabia.

The women in Saudi Arabia are at the centre of culture. This is because their ability to take part in decision making process is limited by the men. The women have been educated but denied the freedom to apply their knowledge in making the society a better place. They have more problems when they have to try and earn their place in the society using religion. The Islamic religion does not give the woman a voice. Women in Saudi Arabia have not been driving cars for the longest time as it was considered haram, they do not easily get jobs and positions of power. The women’s place in Saudi Arabia is in the home, being ruled over by men, IKEA was opposed by seeming to refute this stance. This is a social setting that gives women no freedom to grow and contribute to the society. Men cannot create options for women’s problem, which is what happens every day in Saudi Arabia.

Culture and the population of Ikea is a mirror of the rest of Saudi Arabia. More women are graduates and they do not have an ability to use their knowledge without permission. Men still control what women can learn and where they can apply their ideas. It is for this reason that IKEA was not part of removing women from the catalogue so that they maintain the efforts to empower them (Kokku & Abdulrahman, 2015). Women were being shown that they had yet to be granted freedom. That is also a way for the society of IKEA to maintain their uniformity regardless of culture and religion. 

References

Chiu, Y.-T. H., & Hofer, K. M. (516-538). Service Innovation and Usage Intention: a Cross-Market Analysis. Journal of Service Management, 2015.

Kokku, R., & Abdulrahman, A.-A. (2015). What, who, how and where: Retailing Industry in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Competitiveness studies, 54-59.