Women in Saudi Arabia will be given the right to drive from next June, state media said recently. The announcement follows a long history of banned female drivers in the Gulf Kingdom. A number of women were more than often jailed, if found behind the wheel prior to the announcement.
The decision, which will be officially implemented in 2018, has not been taken well by deeply religious conservatives but is part of the government’s major reform drive, conceived by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licenses for men and women alike,”
the Saudi Press Agency said
Furthermore Prince Mohammed, who has also been dubbed the architect of Vision 2030, recently allowed women into a sports stadium which previously was a male-only arena, to watch a musical concert. This was another move that chimed with the government’s “Vision 2030” plan for social and economic reform as the kingdom prepares for a post-oil era.
