A Saudi woman sits in a vehicle as a passenger on September 22, 2013 in Riyadh (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)[/caption]The issue of women driving in Saudi Arabia has been back in the news, for reasons both frivolous and serious. The frivolous was represented by the absurd comments of a minor religious figure who said in a news interview that driving could damage women's ovaries and cause birth defects in their children. As often happens when Saudi know-nothings weigh in on matters about which they are ignorant, these comments attracted the attention of Western news media, which pounced on them to ridicule the kingdom.
The serious was represented by a request from female members of the Majlis Al-Shura that the council take up the issue, and by a campaign by women to organize a nationwide demonstration on October 26 in support of their right to drive.
It is not technically illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, and the government has long acknowledged that nothing in Islamic law prohibits it.
Women drive without controversy in all other Muslim societies. Nevertheless, the Saudi government refuses to issue drivers licenses to women, and those who dare to drive in public are subject to arrest.
Ever since the crackdown on women who drove through Riyadh in a convoy to attract the attention of international news media gathered in Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm, this issue has been presented as a matter of human rights and basic fairness. Those are important considerations, but what is really going to drive a change in this outdated policy, sooner rather than later, is economics. Women will have to be permitted to drive because Saudi Arabia cannot afford to keep them shut out.
More than half the graduates emerging from Saudi Universities are female. Many of them want to put their education to use in the work force. The kingdom's leaders have recognized that even a country as wealthy as Saudi Arabia cannot continue indefinitely to educate all those women at public expense without recouping any productive output, and that means expanding the labor market to let them take jobs. Several years ago the cabinet set a goal of having one third of all jobs held by women. Already women are taking jobs that previously were closed to them, in fields such as retail and the news media. In early October the Ministry of Justice licensed four women to practice law in the courts; others are sure to follow. There is even a cadre of female firefighters to combat fires in places frequented by women.
At the same time, all of the government's economic planning relies on expanding the private sector. Many investors who operate businesses are willing to employ females, sometimes even prefer them, but their objective is to make money-they don't want to operate fleets of vans to bring female workers to the job site. In the absence of public transportation, they favor allowing women to drive themselves to work.
Moreover, the steady rise of the cost of living has made it difficult for young Saudi men to support their households on a single income. They want their wives to work and bring in money-not to expend precious cash to pay drivers to transport women with nothing else to do but go to the shopping mall. Besides, thousands of Saudi women already have drivers' licenses-obtained in other countries-and could take to the roads without a problem.
All these elements combine to put pressure on the government to change the rules. On the other side are the religious and social conservatives who raise objections: women would not be safe driving in the chaotic traffic, it would be necessary to deploy female traffic officers, a woman who got into an accident might actually have to talk to the other driver-probably be a man from outside her family, heaven forbid.
"There are more opportunities for women," Deputy Labor Minister Abdelwahid Al-Humaid once told me. "There are more options for women. Some people mix their religion with custom-these are very conservative people. But it is changing. It is happening. Women who work can help their husbands. Men now want to marry working women. So there is more incentive for families to encourage their daughters to work. Economics is a very powerful force." But if women have jobs, how are they going to get to them?
As long ago as 2005, King Abdullah was asked about this by Barbara Walters of ABC-TV. "I believe strongly in the rights of women," he replied."My mother is a woman, my sister is a woman, my daughter is a woman, my wife is a woman. I believe the day will come when women drive. In fact, if you look at the areas in Saudi Arabia, the deserts and in the rural areas, you will find that women do drive. The issue will require patience. In time, I believe it will be possible...But it will require a little bit of time...Our people are just now beginning to open up to the world, and I believe that with the passing of days in the future everything is possible."
How many more days must pass? It defies logic to think it can last beyond this decade.
All views expressed in this blog post are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, The Majalla Magazine.
