Editorial | Saudi Arabia taking baby steps towards gender equality

Women have so few rights in Saudi Arabia that even the smallest change seems monumental. Last year’s lifting of the world’s only ban against females driving was hailed as being symbolically important, but it also highlighted the extent of restrictions in the deeply-conservative Islamic kingdom. The latest announcement would seem genuinely significant, though, being a first step at ending the oppressive guardianship system that lies at the heart of inequality. Under the regulations published on Friday, the permission of male relatives will no longer be needed for those aged 21 and over to apply for a passport, travel or work.

Being able to travel independently, overseas and within the country, opens myriad opportunities for Saudi women. They will also be able to register childbirth, marriage and divorce and serve as the legal guardian of minors. Along with the announcement was the declaration that employees could not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, age or disability. The changes are the latest under a reform drive launched in 2016 by the de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who wants to move the economy away from a reliance on oil and gas. Getting women into the workforce is an integral part and he has a target of lifting female participation to 30 per cent from 22 per cent by 2030. But his government has also been cracking down on dissent and women campaigning for greater rights are among those on trial, some claiming to have been tortured. While lives are being transformed by the changes, activists contend that the adjustments will be little more than cosmetic until the guardianship system has been abolished.

Among the restrictions still in place are that women require the consent of a male relative to marry, live alone or leave prison if detained. The kingdom has long been criticised overseas for denying internationally accepted basic freedoms for women. Several claiming gender oppression have been granted asylum, two of them sisters who spent time in Hong Kong. Some in the deeply patriarchal society will not accept the changes and arch-conservatives are bound to push back. But the nation and its people cannot genuinely move forward until women are treated the same as men.