“We don’t drive, but we lead,” said Deemah Al-Yahya, Executive Director at Microsoft Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women from driving, and though this might seem like a major setback for foreigners or outsiders, it is a factor that all Saudi women have dealt with effectively.
In an interview with CNN Money, founder and CEO of i2 Hayat Sindi said, “It’s true. We don’t drive, but it doesn’t stop us [from being] who we are.” Other Saudi businesswomen share Sindi’s opinion and offer their female employees more compensation for transportation than men. Lateefa Alwaalan, Founder and CEO of Yatooq, says that it is her duty to make things easier for her female employees who commute every day to and from work and vouches to cover their transportation costs.
Even though most Saudi women have come to terms with the driving ban, they are hopeful that they will have the option to take control of the steering wheel one day, and that could be any day now.
Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah was quite hopeful about this matter in his latest TV interview on Rotana Khaleejia. He said that there is “no doubt” that the ban will be lifted. The news was celebrated on Twitter with a trending Arabic hashtag that translates to: Prince Faisal: women driving is coming.
Allowing Saudi women to drive benefits Saudi Arabia as a whole, according to Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. He notes that the ban stands in the way of working women, which goes against the “Saudi Vision 2030” campaign that aims to integrate more Saudi women in the workforce for economic growth.
Looking beyond the ban, Prince Faisal praises Saudi women for being the bases of society and Islamic civilization, and hopes that they will not only drive cars, but also “drive society.”
