What Saudi Women Need More Than a Driver ’s License

Earlier this week, I did something perfectly ordinary: I renewed my U.S. driver’s license. That’s something I couldn’t do in my home country of Saudi Arabia because there is no women’s section at the DMV — there is no such process at all. But after decades of protests, The Kingdom announced on September 26th that it will allow women to drive next summer. And while that will be a welcome change, as a Saudi woman, the change I’m really waiting for is something far more fundamental. I want women to be called by their own names by their fellow citizens. As it stands now, our names are not spoken. Instead, women are often referred to as a man’s daughter, wife, sister or mother. In fact, a woman’s name is considered so private that it’s embarrassing or shameful to some if they are made to say it. Strangers will call a woman “auntie” or “teacher.” And we are traditionally not addressed at all by men who are not related to us. Just saying a woman’s name in public is rare and sometimes jarring to hear. So, yes, getting a driver’s license is an important privilege. (Though our nearest male relative will still have to approve most life choices, even if the national laws are changing.) And we can’t wait to take to the roads and pave our own paths. But being addressed by our own names is the next step; and it should have been the first step, in my opinion. A...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized #mymothersnameis #whereismyname Afghanistan Arab women Saudi Arabia women driving women's rights women2drive World Source Type: news