@yoisi In Saudi women can go out whenever they want (Uber exists there and women use it prolifically ), they can start their own businesses, work, open and manage their own bank accounts, go to school, pretty much anything without requiring the permission of a man. The inability to drive put financial and/or timing restrictions on women because they had to either pay extra for a taxi or a driver or wait for a male relative to take them, but they didn't have to stay at home because they needed the explicit permission of a man. (Unless of course they had an abusive husband or something, but that would be true in any country, and it's not written into law).
I'm not saying that Saudi is perfect- far from it - but it's better to focus on facts. There have been many women's rights advancements recently, but If I recall correctly, the main things that are left that require a male guardian's permission are being able to leave the country and getting married (and the fact that male guardians exist, even if all their power is taken away). These are serious issues that need changing. Adding false information about the status of women's rights distracts from these more pressing (i.e. real) issues.
Source: Spent most of my adult live around Saudis regularly, follow political updates in Saudi, been to Saudi twice as a woman, married to a Saudi and did not need his permission to take an Uber and go out within Saudi, my Saudi female in-laws work and need no one's permission to take on new contracts, get a new job, go to a coffee shop, get a gym membership, etc.
29
@yoisi In Saudi women can go out whenever they want (Uber exists there and women use it prolifically ), they can start their own businesses, work, open and manage their own bank accounts, go to school, pretty much anything without requiring the permission of a man. The inability to drive put financial and/or timing restrictions on women because they had to either pay extra for a taxi or a driver or wait for a male relative to take them, but they didn't have to stay at home because they needed the explicit permission of a man. (Unless of course they had an abusive husband or something, but that would be true in any country, and it's not written into law).
I'm not saying that Saudi is perfect- far from it - but it's better to focus on facts. There have been many women's rights advancements recently, but If I recall correctly, the main things that are left that require a male guardian's permission are being able to leave the country and getting married (and the fact that male guardians exist, even if all their power is taken away). These are serious issues that need changing. Adding false information about the status of women's rights distracts from these more pressing (i.e. real) issues.
Source: Spent most of my adult live around Saudis regularly, follow political updates in Saudi, been to Saudi twice as a woman, married to a Saudi and did not need his permission to take an Uber and go out within Saudi, my Saudi female in-laws work and need no one's permission to take on new contracts, get a new job, go to a coffee shop, get a gym membership, etc.