I can attest to the backwards culture of Saudi Arabia. I grew up there for four years while my Dad worked for ARAMCO. Granted, I was too young to know anything, but man, my parents have some crazy stories.
The only thing Saudi Arabia has to offer the world is its oil. Given that, you'd think they'd be experts in getting it out of the ground, but no. They had to hire foreigners like my father, bring them and their families over, provide them with housing, schools, doctors, etc. and pay them a huge salary. My parents, and especially my dad, had to deal with their culture on a daily basis. Simply put, it's their cultural norms that keep them so unproductive.