Saudi Arabia Aims To Lift Ban On Women Drivers

On Monday, 10 women in Saudi Arabia were issued their first drivers licenses after it was announced that the ban on women drivers would be lifted on June 24th. The ten women who passed their certification already possessed licenses in other countries, but the notion was a monumental step forward in progressiveness and women’s rights for the kingdom.

There are still protestors in jail who spoke out about the injustices of not allowing women to drive in the country; however, with this news, hopefully they will be released from prison and allowed the chance to earn their licenses as well.

In addition to allowing women to drive, protests have begun that aim to reform guardianship laws that allow men to have final say in who women marry, if they are allowed to travel abroad, etc. All of this news comes as a step towards equality, and even though 10 is a small number, every small step towards equality is huge for the history books.

Currently, Saudi Arabia is the only country that bans women from driving. The current Saudi prince aims to reform its countries economics by 2030, and part of that plan includes increasing the number of women in the workforce. It is expected that around 2,000 women will also apply for their licenses in the coming week.