https://www.instagram.com/p/BZiP3Kana36/?tagged=saudiwomencandrive

On Tuesday the 26^th of September the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that women were now allowed to drive. Whilst the change will be effective as of June 2018, the move signals a shift in attitudes and treatment towards women.

The amount of women working in Saudi has increased across a range of professions, in 2015 women were also granted the right to vote and run for positions in local councils.

The fight hasn’t been easy, Saudi rights groups and activists have been campaigning for years to overturn the ban and give women the right to drive, women have been imprisoned for instigating protests or driving itself.

One of the main activists Manal Al-Sharif who advocated for women’s right to drive and even wrote the book ‘Daring to drive’ 2011 she filmed herself driving in and posted it on Youtube. In her TED talk she shared:

2011 she filmed herself driving in and posted it on Youtube. In her TED talk she shared:

“So I drove. I posted a video on YouTube. And to my surprise, it got hundreds of thousands of views the first day. What happened next, of course? I started receiving threats to be killed, raped, just to stop this campaign.”

It’s important to recognize the women behind the move like Manal who were imprisoned as a result of trying to fight for the right. She also commented that “ I have no clue, really, how I became an activist. And I don’t know how I became one now. But all I know, and all I’m sure of, in the future when someone asks me my story, I will say:

“I’m proud to be amongst those women who lifted the ban, fought the ban, and celebrated everyone’s freedom.”

#Manal-al-Sharif, wonderful book –#daringtodrive & your activism has paid off, #SaudiArabia decrees that women will drive, finally…

— FKate (@FkateBritPerth) September 27, 2017

The reaction has been mixed, the moment is bitter-sweet, a reminder of how oppressed the women have been versus those who see it as a positive move for the world over and a win for women around the world.

There’s been celebration…

Great NEWS 🚗🇸🇦🏎🇸🇦🚗🇸🇦🏎🇸🇦🚗🇸🇦🏎🇸🇦🚗🇸🇦🏎🇸🇦 #SaudiWomenCanDrive #الملك_ينتصر_لقياده_المراه pic.twitter.com/xmmrqeBTD9

— Anna MacMillan (@annamacmillan) September 26, 2017

https://twitter.com/MariahIdrissi/status/912949659034951680

https://twitter.com/Osman303/status/912761161879293954

https://twitter.com/manal_alsharif/status/912771268918652928

https://twitter.com/alaa_satir/status/912827527684640769

#Rihanna posts Instagram support of Saudi women’s license to drive https://t.co/3fQRkMsVsS #SaudiWomenCanDrive pic.twitter.com/0YdujtHS9m

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) September 27, 2017

Questions have been raised

https://twitter.com/shariahaisha/status/912761158901420032

https://twitter.com/helloiammariam/status/912984759877455872

Concern for the drivers who will lose their livelihood

While I am really glad for the Saudi women at the same time worried for the Pakistani drivers losing their jobs. #SaudiWomenCanDrive

— Arslan (@mylifeinjaypeg) September 26, 2017

Concern for safety. Is society in Saudi ready?

https://twitter.com/maj_oib/status/912763569686458368

Manal tweeted in response to the recent move, reminding us that change starts with one step and one person.

https://twitter.com/manal_alsharif/status/912769533911240704