After allowing Saudi women to travel abroad independently without a male guardian's permission, international and national reactions increased in frequency—Rima Bandar confirmed that the new regulations aim to raise the status of women in Saudi society and Ivanka Trump considered it a big step.
Saudi woman witnesses a new era of full legal and legitimate rights after the major breakthrough brought about by the promulgation of the new regulations, namely the amendment of 13 articles in 4 systems in the Saudi state to activate and empower women in society. Which comes only one year after the decision to allow women to drive, reflecting the rapid enforcement of community reforms.
"Thedecision aims to raise the status of women within Saudi society, includinggranting them the right to apply for getting passports and to travelindependently without the need to guardian's permission," Princess Rima bintBandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States tweeted.
"We have always been waiting for these amendments, whether to include women in the advisory board or to issue driver's licenses," Princess Rima added, "Saudi Leadership has demonstrated its commitment and concern to gender equality.
PrincessRima bint Bandar's comment expresses the joy of the Saudi elites who have welcomedthe new amendments in the past few days.
For her part, Ivanka, the daughter of US President Donald Trump, said in a tweet via Twitter: "The announcement by Saudi Arabia of reforms that will dismantle the guardianship system and allow women to obtain passports, travel and work without securing the permission of a male relative, represents major progress for the Kingdom! More of this!".
For his part, Dr. Issa Al-Ghaith, a Shari'a judge and member of the Saudi Shura Council, described the decision as "a legal and legitimate right for women". He continued in a talk to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper: "By this, the Saudi woman has full access to all her rights, and there is only the legalization of the Shari'a and the establishment of a personal status law, as in the other Arab and Islamic countries, including the Gulf Personal Status Law yet it is not binding, and we still need a comprehensive domestic national law for all personal circumstances".
Allowing Saudi woman to travel independently wasn't the only amendments—one of the most prominent decisions was the equality between men and women in retirement and employment, along with gender equality in the definition of labor and the definition of the worker.
Theage is not the only condition for entitlement to retirement, but there areother requirements detailed in the insurance system of different conditions andprovisions according to the duration of contributions.
Asfor Article 155, its previous text was (the employer may not dismiss the workeror warn her of dismissal while her maternity leave), the provision of the articlewas changed to the benefit of the working woman's right to extend thisprotection and to add the period of pregnancy for the period of maternity leavepreviously protected by the same article prior to its amendment.
Also,restrictions, including setting a higher ceiling for days of absence, have beenadded to protect the employer from harm resulting from this right to the workingwoman.
Onthe other hand, Article no. 91 was amended as follows: "the head of the familyin the application of this system is the father or mother as for the minorchildren".
Inthis regard, Dr. Saud Al-Dhahian, a sociology professor at King Saud Universityin Riyadh, comments: "If we go back when our ancestors were traveling abroad insearch of a livelihood, then it was the woman who ran the family, and so it islogical that the head of the family is the person present, whether man orwoman".
