Welcome to Breaking Down Patriarchy. I'm Amy McPhee Allabest. For many of us who grew up in the 80s or 90s or earlier, the idea of Saudi Arabia may bring to mind images of majestic sandscapes and shimmering desert cities, and of women, their faces hidden behind veils, living under fundamentalist oppression.

In fact, for many of us growing up in America, Saudi Arabia was framed as the unfortunate

poster child for the oppression of women. Happily, thanks to the tireless efforts of Saudi

activists, many, many changes have happened in recent years.

And I want to just share a very incomplete list of some of the rights that women have gained

since the year 2005. In 2005, Saudi Arabia banned forced marriages. In 2009, the first Saudi female minister was appointed to the cabinet.

In 2013, Saudi Arabia allowed women to ride motorbikes and bicycles in recreational areas.

Since 2013, the government has required that women hold at least 20% of seats in their consultative assembly,

and that exceeds the representation of women in the United States Congress sometimes.

In 2015, women were allowed to vote for the first time.

In February of 2017, Saudi Arabia appointed the first

woman to chair the Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange, which is the largest stock market in the Middle

East. In 2017, King Salman ordered that women should be allowed access to government services

such as education and health care

without needing consent from a male guardian.

In 2017, King Solomon also issued a decree allowing women the right to drive, lifting the

decades-old ban on female drivers.

In October of 2017, women were allowed into sports

stadiums. In January 2019, the Saudi Supreme Court issued a law requiring courts to notify

women of divorce via text because guardian laws had allowed men to divorce their wives without notice prior to that.

And that previous policy of divorce without any notice created confusion, and it also left many women homeless.

As of August 1st, 2019, women have the right to register for divorce and marriage, apply for passports, and other official documents, and then also travel abroad without their male guardians permission.

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