Why this ban on woman driving was set in place and continue to be is unclear to me, but I think it has a lot to do with social norms that used to limit the role of women to stay at home, raising children and taking care of house chores. The problem is that some strict interpretation of religion has implemented this view into Islam, when in fact it has nothing to do with it.
I believe large number of women want to have the choice to drive, and many men support that view, but it is certainly not universal as they are group of men and women in the country who oppose giving women the right to drive.
There is no specific punishment for women found driving. In most cases, the woman would be detained and asked to sign a paper promising that she won't repeat it in order to be released. I don't think that many women break the law (if there was actually a law stating that women are not allowed to drive because I doubt there is one) but in the same time we read in the local newspapers stories about women caught driving to the degree that we now have a shortcut to describe these cases: DWF (Driving While Female).
Women who cannot afford a drive must depend on her male relatives to take her places, or she can use a taxi but many women avoid that choice because they think taxis are not safe. Limiting the freedom to move clearly has a negative effect women's lives. Imagine if you are a single mom who needs to buy milk for her baby but can't because you are not allowed to drive. Imagine that you are a young woman who got a good job offer but she can't take it because she has to commute and can't afford the costs of a driver.
Now is part of it is to keep women from having independence? I don't think this was the intention in the beginning, but I expect that some people now are using the women's driving ban in order to do that. They are afraid that allowing women to drive would lead to more empowerment and liberation for women, and they don't seem to accept that.
It is true that many women have driving licenses that they acquired from abroad, but recently the ministry of interior have tried to prevent women from getting these licenses from neighboring countries. Some women in rural areas drive, but that is rare, and it exists simply because the government don't monitor these areas like they do in cities.
"I really want to see the ban lifted, but even if they allowed women here to drive I don't think I would do it in the first few months because I think it will be chaotic." This is what a friend of mine has been telling me. She is eager to have the choice, but it doesn't mean that she would exercise her right immediately. I can imagine that many women share this view, but I can also imagine that many women would be enthusiastic to try something they have always wanted to do.
It has a lot to do with social norms
Submitted by Ahmed Al-Omran on Mon, 17/03/2008 - 10:25.Why this ban on woman driving was set in place and continue to be is unclear to me, but I think it has a lot to do with social norms that used to limit the role of women to stay at home, raising children and taking care of house chores. The problem is that some strict interpretation of religion has implemented this view into Islam, when in fact it has nothing to do with it.
I believe large number of women want to have the choice to drive, and many men support that view, but it is certainly not universal as they are group of men and women in the country who oppose giving women the right to drive.
There is no specific punishment for women found driving. In most cases, the woman would be detained and asked to sign a paper promising that she won't repeat it in order to be released. I don't think that many women break the law (if there was actually a law stating that women are not allowed to drive because I doubt there is one) but in the same time we read in the local newspapers stories about women caught driving to the degree that we now have a shortcut to describe these cases: DWF (Driving While Female).
Women who cannot afford a drive must depend on her male relatives to take her places, or she can use a taxi but many women avoid that choice because they think taxis are not safe. Limiting the freedom to move clearly has a negative effect women's lives. Imagine if you are a single mom who needs to buy milk for her baby but can't because you are not allowed to drive. Imagine that you are a young woman who got a good job offer but she can't take it because she has to commute and can't afford the costs of a driver.
Now is part of it is to keep women from having independence? I don't think this was the intention in the beginning, but I expect that some people now are using the women's driving ban in order to do that. They are afraid that allowing women to drive would lead to more empowerment and liberation for women, and they don't seem to accept that.
It is true that many women have driving licenses that they acquired from abroad, but recently the ministry of interior have tried to prevent women from getting these licenses from neighboring countries. Some women in rural areas drive, but that is rare, and it exists simply because the government don't monitor these areas like they do in cities.
"I really want to see the ban lifted, but even if they allowed women here to drive I don't think I would do it in the first few months because I think it will be chaotic." This is what a friend of mine has been telling me. She is eager to have the choice, but it doesn't mean that she would exercise her right immediately. I can imagine that many women share this view, but I can also imagine that many women would be enthusiastic to try something they have always wanted to do.
Ahmed Al-Omran