Men certainly dominated the govt and positions in high society; however, this was really where the partiarchal dominance ends. The mother of the friends I stayed with in Aleppo actually played for Syria's national basketball team. The woman I stayed with in Damascus was widowed yet she was able to continue with her life as her husbands brother took great care of her.

I must admit that all of the families I stayed with were Catholic, but there was no difference in these families than the average American family in terms of respect between husband and wife.

I was trying to dispel the image that the culture of Saudi Arabia represents the entire middle east.