Saudi King Orders Government Authorities to Allow Women Apply for Services without Approval of Male “Guardians”

Saudi King Salman Al-Saud on Thursday ordered concerned government authorities to allow women apply for services without the approval of their guardians, Sabq online news reported.

The current procedures to get various government services include providing written approval by the women’s guardians to process their applications.

The guardians could be the fathers, brothers, husbands, sons or any other male relatives.

Public organisations were requested to list services that women could apply to to evaluate if they could be included in the order in accordance with Islamic regulations within the next three months.

The order also demanded organisations to provide appropriate transportation services for their female employees, which could reduce the cases of traffic accidents that caused the death of women employees, mainly teachers after they hired reckless drivers to transport them to their workplaces.

Saudi Arabia doesn’t allow women to drive and this has been a hindrance for many women to get jobs or lead independent lifestyles.