Free Family Oral History Research Paper Example

In Saudi Arabia, the family is regarded as the most important unit of the society. Aldawsari who was born in 1993 lived in such a family set up. The structures of his family maintained a traditional system whereby the male parent is considered to be the head of the family. The males in the family are also responsible in the provision of security for the household, provision of the family needs and being in charge of the duties in the household. The father is also responsible in keeping the custody of the children he has sired. Since polygamous marriage is allowed in the family set up, Aldawsari lives in a polygamous family. However, since the father is rich, each wife and his children lives in a different family set up with each other.
In the family, the roles of the females is participation in any matter that can affect the inside life of the household, for instance, women are responsiblefor making of decisions that involve child bringing up, managing the house and taking care of their children (Jeffreys 13). However, women in this society are not restricted to these roles because it is evident that the Aldawsari’s mother is successful in her career. In addition, since family is a unit of the whole society at large, women are responsible for maintaining the structures of the society. Furthermore, the woman in this society is controlled by the man; hence, they are able to maintain the chastity and as a result, the bonds of the society are strengthened.
It is clear that marriage life acts as a turning point for several persons in Saudi Arabia. In the Aldawsari’s family, this is evident. New alliances with new families have been formed when the daughters of this family get married and the sons acquire wives from other families. Marriages are as a result of a well-organized plan. They are viewed as civil contracts that the two individuals enter into. The weddings conducted are given the name Islamic Civil Ceremony. The males in the family are responsible for payments of dowry, which is an accepted form of Saudi money.
Furthermore, it is evident that the family engages in division of labor. This is due to the existing male chauvinism. The males in the families believe to be better than the women in the society. The men also believe that they are much stronger than the women and hence, the difficult tasks and those said to use a lot of energy are allocated to men while women are given simple task that they can handle without any difficulties. In addition, it is important to note that the families in Saudi Arabia are mostly nomads. However, the nomads are modernized and do not in activities such as riding camels and herding of sheep.
In terms of religion, the families observe every Islamic law and they are responsible to ensure that the other members of the family are able to maintain the laws. In addition, all members of the family engage in prayers at least five times in a day either in the mosques that are located all over the country or if it is not possible for one to be in a mosque, they can hold prayers at their homes. The families enjoy their weekends on Fridays and Saturdays so that they can be able to retain the holiness of the Holy Friday (Bin and Ruth 13).
In addition, the relations between one family and another are highly respected. For instance, when males from two different families meet, they are able to exchange greetings and in addition have a prolonged talk concerning each family. However, it is not allowed that the men should engage in talks concerning their wives as this is regarded as disrespectful.
The mode of dressing is also a significant element in the family set up. Similar to most of the countries located in the Middle East, the society in Saudi Arabia recommends that both men and women should wear uniform clothing. However, the two genders are required to be dressed decently. The women are required to cloth on a cloak that is long and that has a black color. The cloak should also cover the entire body except the face and the hands. The clothes for the women are decorated by coins, metallic threads and motifs. Note that even the foreign women in the Saudi society must be on this cloak. However, they are not forced to cover their hairs. On the contrary, the males in the country dress on white clothing. The males wear this clothing despite the weather that the country is experiencing.
In politics, the members of one’s family act as the major political factors. Consultations are first made with the princes of the royal family. The Quran acts as the constitution for the country. The government is usually dominated by the members from the royal families (Bowen 123).
In conclusion, the Saudi people having experienced a closed family set up, they prefer to conduct business and socialize with those that are of the same family. The extended families live in the same home compounds and in case there is some great distance between them, they always ensure that they keep in touch. It is a custom that the old in the family ensures that the young in the family get jobs and job promotions as well in the Saudi government.

Works Cited

Bin, Ladin C, and Ruth Marshall. Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia. 2004. Print.
Bowen, Wayne H. The History of Saudi Arabia. 2015. Print.
Jeffreys, Andrew. The Report. London: Oxford Business Group, 2011. Print.