Saudi Arabia has finally granted
women the right to drive without
guardian permission or
accompaniment .
The ruling was granted Tuesday night
by King Salman, and will allow women
to apply for a licence on their own .
Considered by many to be the most
repressive country in the world, the
lifted ban is progress towards gender
equality in Saudi Arabia.
But , when asked if the ruling will lead
to relaxed guardianship rules , the king
would not comment .
While plans for the motion will be put
in place in the next 30 days , there are
still many things women still can ’t do
in the extremely conservative country :
• Apply for a passport: Although women
are allowed to own a passport or
national identification card , they must
have permission from their guardian
before applying for one. The male
(who is usually the husband, father or
brother) must authorise the document
in person and also sign the
dependent’ s forms. The woman must
also bring her family ID card.
• Get a fair hearing in court : In a Saudi
court, “ the testimony of one man
equals that of two women. ” Women
who manage to bring a male into the
legal system are usually ignored or not
taken seriously . This is especially
dangerous in cases of sexual assault,
where a woman who complains to the
authorities can end up being punished
for adultery.
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