One evening in June, Hessah Alajaji did something revolutionary: She jumped into the driver’s seat of her parents’ Lexus and drove five minutes from her home in Riyadh to a McDonald’s to grab a bite to eat.
Alajaji, 33, was among the first women in Saudi Arabia to get a driver’s license when it became legal on June 24. Until then, women had been forced to rely on male relatives or hired drivers to take them where they wished to go.
“I hoped I would experience this one day,” Alajaji says. “But I never thought it would happen in my lifetime.”
Allowing women to drive is just one of many changes that have come recently to Saudi Arabia, one of the most socially conservative nations on Earth. Women can now do other things that were once forbidden without getting a man’s permission, such as applying for a job or appearing in court. And all Saudis, who once had few avenues for entertainment available to them, can now go to one of the country’s new movie theaters, see a live concert, or attend a poetry reading or even a monster truck rally.
One evening in June, Hessah Alajaji did something revolutionary. She jumped into the driver’s seat of her parents’ Lexus and drove five minutes from her home in Riyadh to a McDonald’s to grab a bite to eat.
Alajaji, 33, was among the first women in Saudi Arabia to get a driver’s license when it became legal on June 24. Until then, women had been forced to rely on male relatives or hired drivers to take them where they wished to go.
“I hoped I would experience this one day,” Alajaji says. “But I never thought it would happen in my lifetime.”
Saudi Arabia is one of the most socially conservative nations on Earth. Allowing women to drive is just one of many changes that have come recently to the country. Women can now do other things that were once forbidden without getting a man’s permission. That includes applying for some jobs or appearing in court. And all Saudis now have more avenues for entertainment available to them. They can now go to one of the country’s new movie theaters, see a live concert, or attend a poetry reading or even a monster truck rally.