Driving past male guardianship to cultural discourse in Saudi Arabia

A weekend in September 2017 was one like no other. It marked an incredible and herstorical day for women and girls in Saudi Arabia. Thousands of women took to the streets after midnight, flooding the roads and immersing themselves in the cruise. The law passed; women can now drive.

Videos emerged of police officers who stood outside traffic stops with flowers for drivers who were women, extending their congratulations, sharing their happiness and excitement. Powerful changes of discourse are sensibly appearing as society’s readiness for women’s independence comes full circle.

Popular social media influencers immediately took to their Snapchat and Instagram accounts to discuss their utter surprise when the Uber driver they requested happened to be a woman who showed up.

A close Kuwaiti relative took a two hour road trip to embark herself on a journey where she was never allowed to before. She drove through new borders in support of this good news. Many Kuwaitis did. The two hour drive to the neighbouring country meant you could take part in in this grand celebration. This herstoric moment. She felt excited and proud to be part of this time in a country that has too long been known to ban women from doing virtually anything.

Expecting this drastic change to happen in this lifetime feels at odds with what people living in the region see happening with injustice, but things are changing drastically, somewhat. In a country that can’t stop talking about the privilege and ease of access to drivers who take women wherever their hearts desire (assuming these same women have the funds, available vehicle, pre-scheduled drivers and male guardian approval on the list of places they are allowed to venture to, duh!) nothing beats freedom of choice. Nothing.

Growing up in Kuwait, I comprehend how inherently different my lifestyle was from someone who lived no more than an hour away from me, or maybe even two houses away from me. Privilege is an expensive lifestyle, but freedom is priceless. Change, although painfully slow, does happen.

By 2019, nearly 70,000 women received their licenses to drive in Saudi. Positive change eventually manifests itself into cultural norms.

But I’m also not a positive thinker, and for good reason. The driving situation is still very complicated, of course. It’s not like women can just walk up to the driving office, take the test and be on their way. With strict guardianship laws, tight restrictions, and social taboos being the biggest of them all, women’s liberation is backfiring yet again. Women driving does not solve underlying problems buried deep into a culture. Activists are still being arrested, Twitter account holders are still being detained or await their fate, and stories you’d think are impossible to make up about women running away are more common than they need to be.

Journalists aren’t safe, even if they are outside the country. Having daddy's money doesn’t make you better off, either. Although 70,000 is not a large number compared to the over 10 million adult Saudi women population, the driving ban and other reforms have improved women’s visibility in the growing workforce,

But this is what Lujain Al-Hathloul fought for back in 2014. Her arrest made her an international hero for people like me. For people like you, too.

While summer time marks minorities’ celebration of Pride in the US, another minority was celebrating their victory just past the ocean. May the higher roads keep the good times coming.