CNN News:妇女顶起半边天

In many public areas in Saudi Arabia, women and men are separated. It`s a country that`s been criticized for women`s rights, but things there are changing.

在沙特阿拉伯许多公共场所，男士和女士是分开的。沙特阿拉伯是一个女权遭到批评的国家，但是现在情况在发生变化。

I`ve spent years covering the Middle East and the Gulf region, and the issue of women`s rights in Saudi Arabia often comes up.

数年来，我一直在报道中东和海湾地区，总之，沙特地区经常出现关于妇女权利的问题。

The kingdom is an absolute monarchy, ruled by the al-Saud family. Now, they govern according to a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam.

沙特为君主专制，由al-Saud家族统治国家。现在，他们根据逊尼派严格的解释来进行统治。

Women need a permission of a male guardian to travel, to work, to attend higher education or to marry. But Saudi Arabia does have a very young population, median age there just 26. Many of them that I`ve spoken to say that the role of women in the country is evolving.

女性需要男性的监护才可以去旅游、工作、接受高等教育、甚至结婚。但是沙特的人口结构年轻化，平均年龄在26岁。我采访的很多人都表示，该国女性的角色在逐渐改变。

Now, 2015 marked the first year that Saudi women were allowed to campaign for public office and to register to vote at the municipal level. And that came two years after the former King Abdullah decreed that women must make up at least 20 percent of the Shura Council. Now, that is an appointed body that drafts laws and advises the king of many issues.

2015年沙特首次允许女性竞选公职和市级登记投票。而在两年前，前任国王阿卜杜拉规定埃及协商会议女性比例至少为20%。现在，这一主体机构起草法律并向国王建议了很多问题。

More Saudi women are also joining the work force. Only about 19 percent of them currently perform paid work, but the Saudi government says their numbers have risen considerably from 23,000 in 2004 to over 400,000 in 2014.

现在越来越多的妇女在参加劳动。但目前，只有19%的女性做的是有偿工作。沙特政府表明从事有偿工作的妇女数量在大幅增长，从2004年的23,000增长到2014年的400,000.

Now, women are still required to cover their hair and wear long clothing in public, but in many malls and hotels these days, women are seen without head scarves. Perhaps the most visible sign of women`s rights in Saudi, or not as the case may be, is that they are not allowed to drive. All the women I`ve met there tell me they are often frustrated by the West`s focus on this topic, and they feel it ignores the other positive steps they say have been made. But proponents for change say allowing women to drive would be a big step towards opening other doors of opportunity.

尽管，现在在公共场合妇女仍要求穿长衣、盖头发，但是如今在很多商场和酒店，可以看到女性不再带头巾。可能在沙特妇女权利最明显的标志就是不允许开车。我所见过的所有女性都告诉我，西方世界对于这个问题的关注，让她们很困扰，因为她们觉得西方世界忽视了积极的一面。但是支持者认为允许女性开车是为女性敞开机会大门的巨大飞跃。