Women’s right to the freedom of movement is heavily restricted in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women were not allowed to drive until September 2017 (Human Rights Watch 2008) . Leaving aside many other forms of gender inequality, the right to drive is a major obstacle placed upon Saudi women that limits their visibility, physical movement, and participation in the public sphere. Starting the “Women2Drive” movement was not their first act of civil disobedience. In 1990 about four dozen women in Riyadh were arrested for driving in protest of the ban and had their passports confiscated. In 2007 women petitioned King Abdullah for their right to drive. The Arab Spring of 2011 allowed for the women to put together a more organized and intensive campaign. The “Women2Drive” campaign is part of a broader movement, the “Right2Dignity,” which advocates for the end of all gender inequality in Saudi Arabia (Human Rights Watch 2013) . Although they faced many obstacles facing a government that is generally intolerable of any opposition and the culture of male guardianship, the king lifted the ban and women will be allowed to apply for a driver’s license by June of 2018 (Hubbard 2017) .
The movement began at a particularly opportunistic time. When the first protests against the driving ban arose, there were no other movements occurring. This allowed them to gain as much attention in the public sphere as possible. The Arab Spring of 2011 inspired the women behind the campaign to revive the movement. One woman from Jeddah noted that “Before, in Saudi, you never heard of protests, [but] after what has happened in the Middle East, we started accepting a group of people going outside and saying what they want in a loud voice” (Buchanan 2011) . Because protests were occurring more frequently, they were less afraid of the consequences. They were influenced by people across the region who were courageously speaking out against their governments. They took to social media to spread the “Women2Drive” campaign. Their slogan was “Teach me how to drive so that I can protect myself” (Human Rights Watch 2013) .
Saudi Arabia has a history of quelling any dissent. They frequently jail protestors and people who speak out against the regime. During the Arab Spring, Saudi Arabia gave money to Bahrain to aid in the government’s repression of protestors. The Saudi government took measures to silence the women of the movement. During the demonstration in 1990 where women in Riyadh drove around a parking lot to protest the driving ban, they were detained, their passports were confiscated, they were suspended from their government jobs, and intimidated to not speak to the media (Human Rights Watch 2008) . Many of them could not obtain a job for a while due to public shaming by the government. Women that were caught driving were detained and if they were released they had to agree that they would remove themselves from the campaign. One of the most prominent women in the movement, Manal al-Sharif, was arrested while driving and during her detention, it was reported by Saudi media outlets that she had confessed to being funded by “outside sources” and conspired to overthrow the regime (Human Rights Watch 2013) . Her detention was extremely important as she was one of the main faces of the movement. By arresting al-Sharif the government was sending a clear message that they will not tolerate this opposition.
The government could control the narrative through the media in the country. It also heavily restricts access to social media. Internationally, there were pressures on the king to lift the driving ban and Saudi Arabia was called out by various countries and NGOs for their blatant violation of human rights. But within Saudi Arabia, people, particularly men, believed that lifting the ban and allowing women to drive would have disastrous negative consequences. One of Saudi Arabia’s top clerics, Sheikh Saleh al-Lohaidan, claimed, with absolutely no evidence, that driving damages women’s ovaries and will lead to them bearing children with clinical problems (Al-Akhbar 2013) . Deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud stated that “women driving is not a religious issue as much as it is an issue that relates to the community itself that either accepts it or refuses it” (Staufenberg 2016) . Many men share the concern that allowing women to drive will ruin the “Saudi family.”
The “Women2Drive” campaign created a strong online presence, with global coverage on mainstream media outlets, social media, and feminist networks. Saudi women posted videos of themselves driving, bringing their issue to the international stage (Marya 2011) . In 2013, activists arranged another campaign that called for women to defy the driving ban on October 26. This produced even more videos and photos of women driving circulating through the internet (The Guardian 2013) . The “Women2Drive” campaign highlighted the practical necessity of being allowed to drive and the danger of being forbidden to do so in emergency situations (Human Rights Watch 2013) . They framed the issue as one of economics as well. Lifting the driving ban could help the economy. Low oil prices have limited the government jobs available, so the kingdom is trying to push more people, including women, into the public sector. But working Saudi women have to hire drivers which takes up a lot of their paycheck and decreases their incentive to work (Hubbard 2017) .
On 26 September 2017, King Salman lifted the ban and is allowing women to drive. The change is set to be implemented this June (Hubbard 2017) . This shows the effectiveness of organized movements and the ability of the Women2Drive campaign to frame their issue as one that would not only benefit women but Saudi Arabia as a whole.
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