Ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia is lifted- equality or appeasement?
The King of Saudi Arabia released a decree on Tuesday evening that lifted the national ban on women driving.
Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries in the world that remains somewhat a mystery. As a closed country, you can’t just pop over for a holiday and I often hear assumptions that it’s ‘just like Dubai, or even, a ‘patriarchal dustbowl’. Having lived in Saudi for the best part of my teen years I can confirm neither are true. Something that is true, however, is that gender inequality is still a huge problem.
Nevertheless, it’s hard (and wrong) to comment on the life of our contemporaries who have a vastly different culture to our own. But gender equality is something more than just a cultural phenomenon, it’s a necessity. I remember the first time I was served by a woman in a shop in Saudi, it was 2012. It was extraordinary, women were actually working! On the other hand, this decree was passed on the basis that it was wrong for men to be working in women’s shops; not on the basis of gender equality.
Since 1990 women in Saudi Arabia have been campaigning for the right to drive, with this campaign perhaps acting as a front for the larger issue at hand, so this change is a phenomenal victory. To many of us, learning to drive was a symbol of adulthood and now millions of women are experiencing this sense of freedom. This is a gigantic step forward, especially considering one of the leading Saudi clerics recently implied women should not (and even would not) be fit to drive as their brains shrink to ¼ the size of a male brain when they go shopping. He, thankfully, was banned from preaching, but he exemplifies the attitudes engrained in some (generally older) people. What we have to bear in mind is that this is a culture foreign to us, these changes may not be welcomed by all therefore there is no way changes will be made overnight. In recent months the religious police were asked to take a step back from their duties, but this faced a public outcry and citizens claimed the ‘muttawa’ protected youth morality. These changes that we may see as necessary may not seem so to the Saudis. It is their tradition that is being overturned and it’ll take time to be accepted.
However, there are still laws in place that suggest women must be accompanied by a male guardian which brings the logistics of the driving ban in to question. It is things like this that bring scepticism. But no matter how small the step, it is a step forward. The lift on the driving ban has been anticipated for a while, but now that it has actually been carried out it we are seeing evidence of social reform and progression. For example, last month a concert was shown in Jeddah, which is an incredibly rare, if not unique, event. With the appointment of the more liberal, Mohammad bin Salman, as the crowned Prince of Saudi Arabia we can hope there are more good changes to come. He has a vision to diversify the Saudi economy and if it is carried out then he may be a catalyst for change in the Kingdom.
Tweet by, Manal Alsarif, one of the figureheads of the campaign for women to drive in 2013.
Regardless of any scepticism, the lift on the driving ban is a feminist victory. All over the world countries are making their own progress towards total equality and each must do so at their own pace and to suit their own culture. Obviously, it is easy to point out that Saudi needs a feminist voice more than other countries but there is still need for a worldwide movement towards equality in all senses of the word. Although there probably wont be a female ruler of Saudi Arabia anytime soon, we’re making progress.
All photos are authors own.