Saudi Arabia: Women on the move, 2011
An historical decision of King Abdallah will give the vote to women and the right to run for election as from 2015. Since his coronation 5 years ago, small reforms lead to big changes in the Saudi society. Women get more freedoms, a positive evolution now in harmony with the 2011 Arab Spring.
New liberties have made a change in the daily life of numerous Saudi women, but the straitjacket of tradition remains strong. Women are still not allowed drive, nor to walk in the street without wearing the traditional black Abaya or having a male family member with them.
Isabelle Eshraghi met those women. Doctors, businesswomen, students, artists, their energy and enthusiasm give faith in a slow but positive evolution of society.
A mixed university opened at the beginning of 2010. It has been a great sign for Saudi Arabia’s positive development. Education is a priority, and women have now access to more and more professional sectors. They are not confined to care or educational professions anymore. The El-Nahda association helps them to enter varied companies.
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