Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women drivers

75 years later, Saudi Arabia plans to lift ban on women drivers

Saudi Arabia has decided to lift the ban on women driving and plans to issue a decree by the end of this year. The royal family has previously refused to grant women drivers a license, claiming that the move did not have full public support.

“There has been a decision to move on this by the Royal Court because it is recognized that if girls have been in schools since the 1960s, they have a capability to function behind the wheel when they grow up,” a government official told The Daily Telegraph. “We will make an announcement soon.”

Fouzia al-Ayouni, the Saudi Arabia’s most prominent women’s rights campaigner, has risked arrest by leading groups of women drivers. “We have broken the barrier of fear,” she said. “We want the authorities to know that we’re here, that we want to drive, and that many people feel the way we do.”

Even when the ban on women driving is lifted, it could take a couple of years to take full impact.

 

Source: The Daily Telegraph

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