Women drivers in Saudi

THE  Saudi Arabia story is not only about women. But the position of women in its societal pecking order is an intrinsic component of the Saudi social, political and royal arrangements. This order was anchored in a code of a medieval society befitting a desert kingdom. Saudi Arabia became a stable country but deprived its women of any partnership and participation in the key changes that followed the industrial revolution and the renaissance in the West. Saudi Arabia’s allies in the developed countries, who should have pushed for changes just as they have done around the globe, held their hand for fear of upsetting the delicate desert balance that ensured uninterrupted supply of oil.  

The permission to women to drive cars is part of the effort by the youthful king-in-waiting Mohamed bin Salman to change the way Saudi Arabia functions and earns its dollars. Even this seemingly minor decision is a very big deal for the kingdom. Hectic consultations are afoot and it will be implemented only by mid-next year, if at all. Saudi Arabia aims to lessen its dependence on oil and earn more from tourism and entertainment. The influx of tourists needs Riyadh to loosen some of the restrictions on female behavourial patterns. The right to drive follows another high point in gender parity: permission to women to watch events in stadiums. Even this was a delicate undertaking and was wrapped in national colours to avoid a backlash from clerics from the uber-conservative Wahabi faith. 

But the young prince’s plans for the future can be upended by the fate of his other adventures. In contrast to Riyadh’s heavy-handed strategy to raise its regional profile, competitor Iran has been sophisticated in widening its arc of influence. Saudi Arabia’s ostracism of a brother Arab country, Qatar, and the war on another, Yemen, are avoidable diversions and a drain on the treasury. If unemployment remains stubborn (two-thirds of Saudis are under 30) and there is a backlash from the recent crackdown on radical clerics, Mohamed bin Salman may have to postpone further steps towards emancipation of women.