Saudi Arabia is not known for its progressive views on women’s issues!! Recently however the Saudi government made a significant step in this direction by allowing women to drive. Saudi Arabia was the only country that had banned female drivers for years. This has been a source of contention between Western governments and activists. Saudi Arabia is now allowing women to drive legally. This is a huge step in the right direction ️ 🔛 👩 🇸🇦 !
Prohibition’s History
The hard-line religious authorities of the Gulf kingdom issued a ban on women driving in the early 1990s believing that doing so would result in increased gender mixing which in turn would result in traffic accidents! This ban was based on the belief that allowing women to drive would result in increased gender mixing which in turn would lead to traffic accidents ️ 🔛 👩. The ban itself had been in force since that time, and had its origins in the deeply conservative religious culture of Saudi Arabia, where segregation between the sexes is rigorously enforce
Under this restriction, ladies who attempted to drive were not just based on arrest and jail time, however their cars were taken, and their male guardians were fined for allowing them to drive 🔛 🇸🇦. This ban has been a major source of aggravation for many females in Saudi Arabia and a severe disadvantage since it made it practically difficult for them to travel separately ️ 🇸🇦.
Efforts to Lift the Ban
Since the ban was introduced there have been many efforts to get it overturned . Activists both inside and outside Saudi Arabia have campaigned vocally and worked hard to push for change on this issue with limited success 🔛 🇸🇦. In the last few years, their efforts have stepped up a gear, culminating in a royal decree issued by King Salman in 2017 permitting women to drive ️ 👩 🆙. This royal decree was backed up by a number of new laws which allowed women to obtain licenses and regulate traffic issues related to female drivers.
Positive Effects of Lifting the Ban
The lifting of the ban on women driving has had a hugely positive impact in Saudi Arabia both for women and society as a whole ️ 🔛 👩 🇸🇦. The relaxed attitude to driving has enabled more women to travel more freely, allowing them to pursue educational, and career opportunities which were not previously available to them. It has also opened up more job opportunities for women since they are now able to drive to work 👩 🆙.
The lifting of the ban has also had a positive effect on the economy, since it has enabled more women to join the work force and contribute to the growth of the country ️ 🔛 👩. A study by the World Bank estimated that the lifting of the ban could add up to $90 billion to the country’s GDP by 2030 a massive increase in economic activity 🌍 ️ 🏦 🆙.
The lifting of the ban has also been welcomed internationally as a sign that Saudi Arabia is taking steps to improve human rights and gender equality ️ 🇸🇦. This is a welcome development since it shows that the country is taking steps to improve its human rights record and is open to reforming its policies and its attitudes towards women ️ 👩.
Looking Ahead
The lifting of the driving ban is an undoubtedly positive step forward but it is only the first step in a long journey towards equal rights for women in Saudi Arabia. To truly achieve gender equality much more needs to be done to improve the legal and social status of women in the country 👩. This includes addressing issues such as access to education and health care as well as changing laws which restrict the independence and freedom of women 👩. It is hoped that the progress made on the issue of driving will serve as a catalyst for further reforms and that the country will continue to make progress towards full gender equality ️ 🔛. !! .
🆕 👩 🇸🇦 👔 🆙 🚗 🏦 ️ 🌎 🔛 ☺️
