Saudi Women Driving Ban

Saudi salesman Majd had just begun his wedding preparations when his fiancee sought to enshrine in their marriage contract a condition already guaranteed by law -- her right to drive.

In June, Saudi Arabia ended a long-standing ban on women driving cars as Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman seeks to improve women's participation in the workforce.

Speed-crazed women drivers are bound to turn heads in the deeply conservative desert kingdom, which overturned the world's only ban on female motorists in June as part of a much-hyped liberalisation drive led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Donning a helmet inside a pearl silver sports sedan, Rana Almimoni skids and drifts around a Riyadh park, engine roaring, tyres screeching and clouds of dust billowing from the back.

Women in Saudi Arabia have for the first time been allowed to become notaries, with 12 granted permission to start working in the profession, the justice ministry said Monday.

Long relegated to the back seat, Saudi women celebrated taking the wheel for the first time this week in a much-awaited rite of passage, but one crucial hurdle remains -- the attitude of men.

Allowing Saudi women to drive could help the kingdom reap as much income as selling shares in Saudi Aramco. The move, which went into effect on Sunday, could add as much as $90 billion to economic output by 2030, with the benefits extending beyond that date, according to Bloomberg Economics.

Among those who cheered the end of ban on women drivers were some Saudi police officers who handed out roses to the new drivers. Images of the uniformed officers handing out flowers to women drivers began circulating on social media shortly after the ban was lifted.

Reem Farahat waited for a ride request. Her phone pinged. "I've already cried twice," she said, heading out to work as one of Saudi Arabia's first female drivers for Careem.

From the streets of Saudi Arabia to a French track, women are taking the wheel.

Al-Hamad drove a 2012 car, in which Kimi Raikkonen won that year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as part of a parade of the French manufacturer's cars to mark the return of the race after a 10-year absence.

Saudi Arabia ended its longstanding ban on women driving on Sunday -- and the second the clock struck midnight, women across the country started their engines.

Every few metres someone -- a newlywed couple, a group of young girls with balloons -- stops Samar Almogren to cheer her on or flash her a thumbs-up.

"Were our efforts the reason the ban was lifted? Or was it a decision that had been made regardless of our struggles?"

Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive from Sunday, overturning the world's only ban on female motorists, a historic reform that is expected to usher in a new era of social mobility.

Saudi salesman Majd had just begun his wedding preparations when his fiancee sought to enshrine in their marriage contract a condition already guaranteed by law -- her right to drive.

In June, Saudi Arabia ended a long-standing ban on women driving cars as Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman seeks to improve women's participation in the workforce.

Speed-crazed women drivers are bound to turn heads in the deeply conservative desert kingdom, which overturned the world's only ban on female motorists in June as part of a much-hyped liberalisation drive led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Donning a helmet inside a pearl silver sports sedan, Rana Almimoni skids and drifts around a Riyadh park, engine roaring, tyres screeching and clouds of dust billowing from the back.

Women in Saudi Arabia have for the first time been allowed to become notaries, with 12 granted permission to start working in the profession, the justice ministry said Monday.

Long relegated to the back seat, Saudi women celebrated taking the wheel for the first time this week in a much-awaited rite of passage, but one crucial hurdle remains -- the attitude of men.

Allowing Saudi women to drive could help the kingdom reap as much income as selling shares in Saudi Aramco. The move, which went into effect on Sunday, could add as much as $90 billion to economic output by 2030, with the benefits extending beyond that date, according to Bloomberg Economics.

Among those who cheered the end of ban on women drivers were some Saudi police officers who handed out roses to the new drivers. Images of the uniformed officers handing out flowers to women drivers began circulating on social media shortly after the ban was lifted.

Reem Farahat waited for a ride request. Her phone pinged. "I've already cried twice," she said, heading out to work as one of Saudi Arabia's first female drivers for Careem.

From the streets of Saudi Arabia to a French track, women are taking the wheel.

Al-Hamad drove a 2012 car, in which Kimi Raikkonen won that year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as part of a parade of the French manufacturer's cars to mark the return of the race after a 10-year absence.

Saudi Arabia ended its longstanding ban on women driving on Sunday -- and the second the clock struck midnight, women across the country started their engines.

Every few metres someone -- a newlywed couple, a group of young girls with balloons -- stops Samar Almogren to cheer her on or flash her a thumbs-up.

"Were our efforts the reason the ban was lifted? Or was it a decision that had been made regardless of our struggles?"

Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive from Sunday, overturning the world's only ban on female motorists, a historic reform that is expected to usher in a new era of social mobility.