The 2022 World Cup is being hosted in Qatar this year and has already got off to a bumpy start as just days before the event kicked off the Qatari royal family banned the sale of alcohol inside stadiums. LGBTQ campaigners are also up in arms about the decision to host the competition in the Islamic country, as they remain unconvinced that they will be safe if they travel to the World Cup amid reports the country had been set to deploy spies to arrest gay fans.
The country was also the subject of a lengthy report by the Human Rights Watch, as one researcher said that although the government bragged about being more equal than some, in reality, women have far fewer rights and less freedom than men. The controversial male guardianship rules mean that women need permission to marry, travel, pursue higher education, work in certain jobs - and even obtain reproductive health care.
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Rothna Begum, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, recently wrote a 94-page report titled: "'Everything I have to Do is Tied to a Man': Women and Qatar’s Male Guardianship Rules", which analysed the current state of affairs.
She found that women in Qatar must obtain permission from their male guardians, who may be fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, or, when married, their husbands, to exercise many modern freedoms.
The discriminatory system also denies women the authority to act as their children's primary guardian, even when they are divorced and have legal custody.
These restrictions violate Qatar's constitution and international law.
Begum said: "By enforcing male guardianship rules, Qatar is failing women and now falling behind neighbouring countries when they were once in some instances leading the way.
"Qatar should remove all discriminatory rules against women, publicise these changes, pass anti-discrimination legislation, and ensure that women have the civic space to demand their rights."
The Human Rights Watch findings are based on a review of 27 laws, some of which the government confirmed and others were disputed despite evidence provided by the organisation.
The government, in a written response, hit back at their findings but the research, including interviews and reviews of documents such as requests by schools and workplaces for guardian permission, conflicted with the government's claims.
While some restrictions aren't defined by law, Human Rights Watch found that they were enforced unofficially - through social norms and acceptance.
Most of the women interviewed said that the rules have taken a heavy toll on their ability to lead independent lives, and some said it has affected their mental health, contributing to self-harm, depression, stress, and suicidal thoughts.
Some hotels prohibit unmarried Qatari women under age 30 from renting a hotel room unaccompanied by a male relative, and Qatari women are prohibited from attending some events and entering places that serve alcohol.
Foreign national women in Qatar, who are dependent on their husbands or fathers as their visa sponsors, are also under controls comparable to male guardianship.
Women need their visa sponsor's permission to get a driver's license, work, or obtain a government scholarship to study in Qatar.
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