Eight things women still can't do in Saudi Arabia (and this is still one of our allies????)

[niyad]

Eight things women still can't do in Saudi Arabia

King Salman has promised many reforms for female citizens but important decisions a woman in Saudi Arabia still cannot make for herself include the ability to marry, travel or seek medical treatment



Saudi Arabia women arrive to a rally to celebrate the 87th annual National Day of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 23 September 2017 REUTERS

The news that King Salman of Saudi Arabia has issued a royal decree finally giving women in the conservative Kingdom the right to drive was met with celebration both inside the country and across the globe. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that does not allow women to drive. The issue has come to represent all of the human rights abuses Saudi women suffer under the Kingdom’s male guardianship system, which gives a woman’s husband, son or father control over almost all aspects of her life.




“Women’s issues have always been used by the Saudi regime at the right moment in order to disperse bad publicity,” Madawi al-Rasheed, a Saudi Arabian professor of social anthropology at the London School of Economics, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday. “We talk about driving as if it is the most important thing - it is important for the women’s movement... but there are certain legal restrictions that are still in place [that are also a pressing issue],” she added. “It’s a long struggle and a long road to serious equality.” King Salman and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman have implemented “Vision 2030”, a long-term blueprint of economic and social reforms designed to modernise Saudi Arabia and wean itself off reliance on oil revenue.

While there has been promise of several reforms for female citizens so far just a handful of the important decisions a woman in Saudi Arabia still cannot make for herself include:


Marry:
Permission to marry must be granted by your wali, or guardian. Women who seek to marry foreigners must obtain approval to do by the ministry of interior, and marriage to non-Muslims is so difficult as to be impossible.
. . . .





Seek important medical treatment

Even life-saving operations and procedures require the written signature of a male relative.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-womens-rights-driving-ban-lifted-marriage-custody-bank-accounts-travel-medical-a7969551.html