Women may now travel without male consent
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia on Friday published new laws that loosen restrictions on women by allowing all citizens — women and men alike — to apply for a passport and travel freely, ending a longstanding guardianship policy that had controlled women’s freedom of movement.
The new laws, a potential gamechanger for Saudi women’s rights, are to go into effect by the end of the month.
The kingdom’s legal system has long been criticized because it treated adult women as minors, requiring they have a man’s consent to obtain a passport or travel abroad. Often a woman’s male guardian is her father or husband, and in some cases a son.
The changes were widely celebrated by Saudis on Twitter, with many posting memes showing people dashing to the airport with luggage and others hailing 33yearold Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, believed to be behind these moves. But the changes also drew backlash from conservatives, who posted clips of senior Saudi clerics in past years arguing in favor of guardianship laws.
Other changes allow women to register a marriage, divorce or a child’s birth, and obtain official family documents, which could ease hurdles women faced in obtaining a national identity card and enrolling their children in school. Women are now also allowed to be legal guardians of their children.
Still in place, however, are rules that require male consent for a woman to leave prison, exit a domestic abuse shelter or marry. Women, unlike men, still cannot pass on citizenship to their children and cannot provide consent for their children to marry.
Saudi clerics have supported the imposition of male guardianship based on a Quran verse that states men are the protectors and maintainers of women.