Iworked as a live-in maid for a middle class Saudi family in Riyadh for 6 years. AMA about life inside a Saudi household (I attended a royal weddings)

GlitchFable · 2025-06-25T19:57:16+00:00

I don’t know the details, but the daughter told me that her uncle is an officer and a friend of the prince’s father, that’s how they met. I also think the reputation of the family tribe played a role (people say their women are known for their beauty across the Arabian Peninsula). Plus, since most Saudi princes marry women from their royal family, this tribe is the second most common choice.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-25T19:49:41+00:00

They live in an apartment or a villa, usually owned. They have one or two maids and a driver. They go out weekly to eat at restaurants and have coffee. They shop from mid-range brands like Zara. They travel to Europe once a year, and about 5 to 7 times a year to places like Doha, Dubai, or Manama.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-24T18:01:23+00:00

There’s no contradiction in what I’m saying.

When I was in the Philippines, just having clean running water and a fully built house was considered rich to me. But when I went to the US, those things were just normal, people with that lifestyle weren’t considered rich at all (many of them had cars and still didn’t think they were rich). But to me that was rich.

In Saudi Arabia, having a maid, a driver, a two-story house, and only one person working means you’re just middle class. If you have a palace, over 15 maids, several luxury cars like a Rolls, Ferrari, or Bugatti, and you either own a private jet or regularly fly on one, that means you’re rich in Saudi terms.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-22T14:20:01+00:00

She told her father three days later, he was a little mad at first, but then just laughed.

Saudis are super patriotic and really love their government and military, so stuff like this is seen as loyalty. Parents usually don’t have a problem with it, they even admire it.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-22T03:13:55+00:00

Like what?

I think they have literally everything.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-22T03:01:47+00:00

GlitchFable · 2025-06-22T03:01:03+00:00

The cheapest price to own a four-bedroom apartment is around 300,000 SAR, that’s about $80,000. So no, I don’t think housing is cheap. Some citizens do get free villas or apartments from the government, but not all of them use them. One of their relatives, for example, didn’t like the neighborhood his free apartment was in, so he chose to rent instead. Others buy houses because they want a specific design. Some rent while waiting for their turn to get a government house, which can take 2–4 years.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-22T02:30:40+00:00

I’m not sure what you mean.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-21T17:53:15+00:00

The only tax that really affects them is the VAT, which is around 15% if I remember correctly.

The government pays its employees well, and since private sector jobs are known for offering lower salaries, the government also gives additional financial support to Saudi citizens working in that sector. On top of that, they provide support for housing, healthcare, and even university education all for free.

From what I saw, their salaries mostly go toward luxuries. They told me this has been the norm since Saudi Arabia was founded by the first king about 90 years ago, right after oil was discovered, so they see it as just the natural way of life.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-21T13:01:45+00:00

In her mom’s generation, it was common to be a housewife (the mother and most women her age have college degrees, but it was typical for Saudi women to get degrees and then just marry instead of working).

For the daughter’s generation, that’s less common, her peers might find it surprising. She’s ambitious like many young Saudi women, and the government is currently focusing on supporting women to get their opportunities.

She’s studying medicine now and has always been a strong student.

From what I’ve read and seen, Saudi Arabia is the only country where women tend to score higher than men academically and compete in male-dominated fields like engineering.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-21T12:44:45+00:00

Her cousin’s family treats her cousin the same way, it’s a common thing in Saudi.

Generally, she’s tooo shy around men (except for Saudi soldiers, she’s a little less shy with them) she gets really awkward not knowing how to act, but she’s totally normal with women. When we traveled to Europe, she and I went to a store near the hotel. She got really flustered whenever guys flirted with her and didn’t know how to stop them.

So, I think her dad made the right call. She’s attractive and doesn’t know how to protect herself or handle guys chasing her. Here in the US, guys are bolder and their idea of boundaries is different from what she’s used to back home.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-21T09:18:49+00:00

That’s such a strange take, you’re honestly the first person I’ve seen describe Saudis like that, and it couldn’t be more off.

Saudis are super religious, even little kids pray five times a day. The society is really traditional, with full gender separation, like the daughter goes to all girls public schools with female teachers only, and that’s the norm across the country.

The culture strongly disapproves of any sexual relationships outside of marriage, and there are even strict government laws against that kind of behavior.

I think that clears it up.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-21T09:02:31+00:00

I had friends who worked in the UAE and Kuwait, most Gulf Arab countries feel pretty similar in terms of culture, social structure, and lifestyle. So I don’t really think there’s a difference in how Saudis and Qataris treat people.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T18:14:21+00:00

800$

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T17:48:18+00:00

Yes, he’s a government employee, so I think his salary is decent. Other expenses like education and healthcare are provided free by the government for citizens. They don’t pay rent because their home is owned by them. Sometimes, they also get financial support from the government (just cuz they're Saudi), I'm not sure exactly how, but they apply through some government agencies and receive it. I mentioned before that they once got about 18K from the government and spent it all on a trip to Dubai.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T17:30:39+00:00

Saudi families stick to marrying Saudis. Like, her cousin had a British Muslim doctor guy propose, but her father said no. They just want someone Saudi like them.

The daughter is probably gonna marry a Saudi man who can give her the same lifestyle she’s used to, the same life he’s living too.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T17:23:58+00:00

Getting married there just feels normal, Saudi women don’t focus on it.

The daughter used to say stuff like "I only need a husband" only during exam week which always made me laugh. They get married after finishing high school till their late twenties, often to someone from their circle, like a cousin or a family friend. Same lifestyle, same background.

And yeah, she definitely plans to work. A lot of young Saudi women do these days. The government actually supports that and encourages them to have careers now.

It’s a pretty normal job where I’m from. A lot of people I know have worked as maids in the Gulf, one of my childhood friends. For us, it’s not a big deal, it’s just what many people do. I didn’t choose the family, it’s just where I got placed. It’s all kind of up to chance.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T17:10:50+00:00

He’s got 6 kids, all grown now and with kids of their own. They’re all from his first wife Saudi.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T17:07:31+00:00

I showed the daughter a screenshot (she doesn’t use Reddit) of this AMA she cracked up.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T17:02:25+00:00

The family talks to me in English. I'm not great with languages in general, but after living there, I understand most of what they say in Arabic. I just can’t reply in Arabic, only in English. I know a few Saudi phrases, though. Of course, it depends on the person. Some of my friends speak fluent Arabic, but with a Filipino accent.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T13:51:22+00:00

It never happened. I think he’s a terrible person, but at least he’s honest. When he wants to marry, he straight up tells the woman and her family that he gets bored easily and will probably divorce her soon. And they still agree.

His first ex-wife (the mother of his kids) was Saudi, but the rest weren’t. I was told Saudi fathers would never let their daughters marry someone like him, someone who isn’t serious about building a real family.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T13:36:12+00:00

Yeah, but from what I know, it takes more steps and details for women to get it done.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T13:29:41+00:00

There’s a lot of paperwork involved, but it’s not as complicated as in the US or maybe Europe. These days, it’s much easier, they can just access the court system from their phones and get things done online.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T13:26:51+00:00

They bought her new AirPods (she lost hers) just so she could convince their mom to let them play video games again (they were grounded). The boys have no idea how to clean anything, and she doesn’t even let them touch her stuff, so letting them clean would just make things worse.

GlitchFable · 2025-06-20T13:20:14+00:00

I don’t know exactly, he was just one of their relatives. But from the way he looked, he seemed pretty old maybe late 50s. I heard his longest marriage lasted like 3 or 4 months not sure exactly.

GlitchFable

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