Saudi Arabia is going through some sort of "renaissance." Laws and rules have been passed to allow women to drive, divorce and travel.
Yet change doesn't take place overnight. The society has been extremely conservative and women were treated as chattels for a long, long time. Resistance to change from the conservative section of the population will take awhile to subside. Yet, by and by changes have been taking place.
Bold Saudi women are adopting the new freedoms and getting other women to follow suit. The society is now adapting to the change, slowly but surely. Here is a recent article documenting the phenomena: https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-02-27/saudi-cyclist-says-it-takes-brave-heart-normalize-sport-women
About 1,000 women participated in a cycling sport competition recently - sans their abaya and male guardians. This is an example of the natural progression of the changes taking place. Bravo Saudi Arabia.
Societies that suppress and oppress its women will slack in every human endeavor.
“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.”
― Muhammad Ali Jinnah
“The extremists are afraid of books and pens, the power of education frightens them. they are afraid of women.”
― Malala Yousafzai
