#Women2Drive

Up until 2017, Saudi Arabia was the only country that did not allow women to drive motor vehicles by law. Saudi Arabia has long had a history deny women the same basic rights that it awards men. The ban on women driving is the one that most recently has caught global attention and has dominated movements for change in the nation. The fight for equality for women’s rights, at least in terms of automobile driving, is not a new fight in the nation.

 The 1990’s saw the first protests against the regime to allow women to drive. The first protests were on November 6^th, 1990 when 47 women drove cars in the city of Riyadh to protest the ban on driving. These 47 women were jailed for one day due to their protest and subsequently had their passports taken away and many lost their jobs. In September of 2007, a women’s group in Saudi Arabia called the Association for the Protection and Defense of Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia sent a petition to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The petition had 1100 signatures that asked the king to give permission for women to drive.

On international women’s day a year later, al-Huwaider posted multiple videos of her driving on YouTube. The videos showed her driving on her own property, where she is allowed to drive as it is not a public road. The video continues to show her drive on public roads, which was in direct violation of the Saudi law. Al-Huwaider spoke of her wishes that one day women would be able to drive in her nation. The video itself went viral and brought the #Women2Drive movement into the 21^st century.  

In 2011 Manal al-Shariff, through an extensive Facebook campaign, officially started the modern day #Women2Drive movement in Saudi Arabia. Also called the “teach me how to drive so I can protect myself movement,” the #Women2Drive movement was said to be inspired by the Arab Spring that was happening at the same time. Unlike many of the countries in the region, Saudi Arabia did not see the high governmental change, but protests for women’s rights spurred instead. A couple weeks after the initial Facebook page went out, it had over 12 thousand readers and supporters, and soon after women were driving in the street out of protest. Due to marketing campaign aimed at women in the US, many Saudi women’s groups including Saudi Women for Driving asked Subaru’s parent company to stop selling cars to nations that do not allow women to drive.

Al-Shariff was arrested in 2011 when al-Huwaider filmed her driving on public streets, again in direct opposition from the law at the time. Al-Shariff was subsequently released and rearrested and was only released on bail only with the conditions that she would no longer drive and would not talk to the press. American news outlets connected the arrest with Saudi Arabia’s fear of protest during the height of the Arab Spring. Al-Shariff’s arrest empowered more women to go into the street and drive in solidarity. Women all over Saudi Arabia posted videos of themselves driving in protest with the law. On the 17^th of June, 30-50 Saudi women drove together on the streets of Riyadh. Their cars were stopped by police but were only given a traffic ticket marking the start of change to the law.

In late July, after more women were arrested for driving cars, Princess al-Taweel announced on NPR that she was in support of the protests and was trying to advocate for women equality in the workforce, legal system, and education. It was during this same period that King Abdullah announced that by 2015 women would have more voting rights in the country. The fight was fought for another six years. During this time constant battles went back and forth; each side seeming to give and take ground with their arguments. Many more conservative hardliners in the government ensured that if women were able to drive that “issues” such as prostitution, pornography, homosexuality, divorce, and the “end of virginity.” Protestors in the other camp argued that women deserve the same simple rights as men, driving being the main talking point.

On September 26^th of 2017, King Salman announced that women would be able to drive in Saudi Arabia in accordance with Sharia. Licenses are only to be issued to women starting June 24^th, 2018. This, however, marks a massive shift in Saudi Arabia and how a social movement can change a society for good.