Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on the status of women’s rights and gender equality in various countries around the globe.
Earlier this month, the Shura Council, a formal advisory body to Saudi King Salman, refused to even look into the possibility of letting women in Saudi Arabia drive. That leaves Saudi Arabia as the only country in the world that forbids women from driving. In an email interview, Katherine Zoepf, a fellow at New America and author of “Excellent Daughters: The Secret Lives of Young Women Who Are Transforming the Arab World,” discusses women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. Her recent reporting in the kingdom was made possible by grants from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
WPR: What is the legal status of women in Saudi Arabia, and how does that impact gender equality objectives?