“We all have to live in the borders of the boxes our dads or husbands draw for us,” said Zahra, a 25-year-old Saudi woman.
Progress has, however, been made.
In 2013, then-King Abdullah appointed 30 women to the Shura Council, his highest advisory body, and two years later women were allowed to both vote in and run for office in municipal council elections, for the first time in the country’s history.
In May his successor, King Salman, ordered that government agencies publish lists of services that women can access, without a male guardian present, and ordered that employers provide women with transport.
And according to the Saudi Ministry of Education, women in Saudi Arabia attend college at higher rates than men.
Yet it is still difficult for women to succeed, in part because of barriers placed by the Saudi system – something Tuesday’s ruling hopes to address.
The movement for women to drive has gained prominence with the rise in power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old son of the king. who has laid out a far-reaching plan to reform the kingdom’s economy and society.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia, hit by the fall of oil prices, is aware of the economic contribution that women could make.
Emancipation
There is a landmark progress on the attitude towards Saudi women as the Rulers of the Al-Saud Kingdom of the Arabian sub-continent would be lifting the ban to allow the other half of Saudis to drive.
The Independent story:
It is most likely that the rules to obtain the permit to drive between sexes would be different but this is definitely a progress in a kingdom known to prohibit women based on strict and very conservative interpretation of the Arab customs and tradition.
Previously, women have been allowed to obtain flying license.
The Arab News story:
Emirates Women story about the progress of more lateral towards Saudi women:
It is very refreshing to watch the slow liberalisation of social policies.
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