“Gender does not refer to a fixed biological notion of sex, but rather to the “appropriate” social and cultural roles that society evaluates as normal or desirable .” Therefore, gender issues can be defined as those issues that evolve in response to such roles. The Middle East is often the subject of attention on the international scene for its responses to these gender issues and the contradictory nature of their gender policies. However, it is important to note that many factors can shape these gender norms, and these “… are the result of long historical processes influenced by state, religion, culture, law, morality, sexuality, ideology and economic forces, as well as contemporary changes and challenges”. Therefore, policies that have evolved in response to gender issues have done so contextually, as seen in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both of which have very different, yet controversial, policies with respect to gender issues. of gender. Therefore, this essay will examine the historical and contextual development of these policies in each country. Next, it will look closely at the development of gender policies, focusing in particular on the post-1979 period, and the reasons for this development. Finally, contemporary policies will be discussed and compared in a similar way. In the case of Saudi Arabia, it should be noted that, “…the historical socio-economic and political conditions of Saudi Arabia are an essential aspect in understanding the position of women in Saudi society” and, consequently, the case of Saudi Arabia is unique compared to the rest of the region, as it did not undergo European colonization. Therefore the restrictions imposed on women “…can be attributed to traditional social and cultural boundaries…… half of the document……al Institutions and Gender Index, 2012. Web. 22 May 2014. "Iran; Profile of Gender Equality in the MENA Region ." Status of Girls and Women in the Middle East and North Africa (2011): 1-3. UNICEF. Network. May 20, 2014.Manea, Elham. “Women in Saudi Arabia are trapped in a system of gender apartheid.” DW.DE. Deutsche Welle, 30 December 2013. Web. 18 May 2014.Moghadam, Val. "Revolution, State, Islam and Women: Gender Politics in Iran and Afghanistan." Social text 22 (1989): 40. Web.Moghissi, Haideh. “Islamic Cultural Nationalism and Gender Politics in Iran.” Third World Quarterly 29.3 (2008): 541-54. Web."Saudi Arabia." Social institutions and gender index. Social institutions and gender index, 2012. Web. 20 May 2014. The singer, Diane. "Gender and Politics". Politics and society in the contemporary Middle East. Ed. Michele Penner Angrist. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2010. Print.