https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/23/worl ... ender.html
New crown Prince is 32, has a good 50 years of rule ahead of him, and eliminated / robbed all his opponents. Wants a more 'moderate' Islam, and is popular with the people.
Cultural norms will lag behind official policy changes.....Saudi Arabia has long been known as one of the world’s most restrictive environments for women, where they could not travel alone, hold a wide range of jobs, show their hair in public or drive. That is beginning to change.
A series of recent decisions by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s young, de facto ruler, could revolutionize the lives of Saudi women. They will soon be allowed to attend soccer matches at public stadiums. They have been named to prominent positions. In June, they will be allowed to drive cars, even motorcycles, the government says. Women will probably even be able to join the traffic police.
While the kingdom’s strict gender rules are often seen as an extension of its deep connection to its ultraconservative interpretation of Islam, they are, in many ways, deeply entrenched cultural norms. And despite the speed with which the official decisions could potentially free up women’s lives, the culture could shift more slowly.
Most public spaces in Saudi Arabia are designed to keep men and women apart. Restaurants have separate entrances for “families,” meaning groups that include women and “single” — which really means “men.”
One mall in Riyadh, the capital, has an entire floor for women only, called “the Ladies Kingdom.” With few exceptions, schools and universities are segregated, and many men and women who do not consider themselves particularly religious still mostly socialize with their own gender.
Still a long way to go. But, even US laws weren't much different ~150 years ago.But the rules are not as strict as they once were, and in many places, change has already begun. Saudi Arabia has a large youth population. About two-thirds of its 22 million citizens are under 30. Compared with members of older generations, young Saudis have grown up with unprecedented exposure to the rest of the world.
Hundreds of thousands of them have studied abroad, including in the United States. And social media and satellite television have made even those who remain at home familiar with other societies.
Not a sexist or racist postWomen rights activists say the next frontier in their struggle is against so-called guardianship laws that require all women to have a male guardian, usually a father or husband, and sometimes even a son.
Saudi women still need permission from their male guardians to get a passport, leave the country and to pursue certain kinds of jobs or medical treatments.
