Women Driving In Saudi Arabia
Afew months it Saudi Arabia was seen on headlines across the world after it was announced that the ancient ban on women driving was being removed.  It was completely historic, with King Salman, Saudi Arabia’s monarch stating that women will now be able to legally drive in June 2018.
After several months of excitement and build up, many Saudi Arabian women were finally given a drivers licence, even before the ban was lifted. There are thousands of more women who are planning on getting theirs.
 

Saudi Arabia is a highly conservative country and has strict gender segregation rules due it’s religious and cultural beliefs. Religious groups believed that it was unIslamic if women were to drive.
It was petitioned in the past by Saudi women to have the ban lifted several times ,however it was never successful until now.  The driving force seen responsible for lifting the ban is credited to Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. There are a few other social changes that are being worked on such as removing the ban of women in movie theatres as well as on women watching football.
In May an online portal was launched for women who have drivers license in other countries can apply for a Saudi one. Applications require that it be translated into Arabic, and that they have passed an eye test. They must also prove that they have Saudi citizenship.
Women who do not already have foreign driver’s licences will have to take a 90-120 hour course. The process will likely take a whole since the portal has been receiving a great deal of applications.

 
Driving lessons for Saudi Arabian women are much more expensive than those for men, which the ministry of traffic explains is due to the qualified female trainers that were brought in from other countries to provide the necessary training to the new female drivers.

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