RIYADH: Saudi women will be able to get a passport and travel outside the kingdom without the approval of a male guardian. Anyone above the age of 21 can get a passport and travel, the government’s communications centre said on Friday. Children will still need guardian approval for travel.
The decree also allows women to register marriage, divorce or a child’s birth, which previously only men could do. Women also get the right to become legal guardians of their children.
The changes will go into effect by the end of August.
The amendments are part of a series of changes championed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, including loosening restrictions on women, such as allowing them to drive.
The measures are seen as part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan, which aims to attract more investments and diversify the kingdom’s oil-reliant economy.
“Of course we welcome this step. Though words are nice they also have to be executed,” Regina Spoettl, Gulf expert at Amnesty International Germany, said.
Saudi ambassador to the United States Reema Bandar al Saud, the kingdom’s first female ambassador, said the changes introduced to the labour and civil laws “are designed to elevate the status of Saudi women.”
The new regulations represent a “holistic approach to gender equality,” she wrote on Twitter.
Many were celebrating the changes on the social network with the hashtag “The guardianship has fallen,” as some women started listing their travel destinations.
“Finally, congratulations to all women,” wrote one woman, while others were celebrating the crown prince as a “hero,” describing him as the “knight of light” and “king of justice.”
Many also posted humorous memes of women dashing to airports lugging suitcases and being trailed by male relatives.
The reform, which grants women greater autonomy and mobility, comes as the petrostate reels from low oil prices and seeks to boost employment opportunities for women.
“This can be the beginning of economic migration that relieves pressure and to create jobs for educated women in a liberalised economy with less public sector opportunities,” said Madawi al Rasheed, a Saudi expert at the London School of Economics.
“The new regulations do not only allow women to issue passports and travel without a guardian’s permission, but will also limit the state’s interference in the private sphere,” Saudi academic Eman al hussein said on Twitter. — dpa/AFP
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