Women in Saudi Arabia are now at the helm

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Tuesday, September 26, issued a decree that for the first time gives women of the kingdom the right to drive a car.

Source: BBC

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are prohibited from driving. Until now, only men have been issued licenses, and women who drove risked being fined or arrested.

Activists of the kingdom have been fighting for the rights of women to drive a car for many years. Because of the law, many families were forced to hire private drivers.

The decree of the king was announced by the Saudi Foreign Ministry on Twitter. The order will be implemented by June 24, 2018. A special commission is being created in the country, consisting of representatives of the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Finance, Labor and Social development, which should determine exactly how to implement this decision of the king.

However, not everyone welcomed the news positively: conservatives accused the government of changing sharia law. Others stressed that, despite recent achievements, Saudi Arabia is still far from gender equality. There are a lot of restrictions for women in the kingdom.