Saudis: driven by economics to change a taboo
Monday, October 1, 2007 at 6:48AM ARTICLE: "Saudis Rethink Taboo on Women Behind the Wheel," by Hassam M Fatah, New York Times, 28 September 2007, p. A3.
A popular sitcom preps the public for the inevitability of letting women drive.
Two worthy bits:
Saudi women say the seeming momentum behind the issue is fueled in part by what they can now see and read about the freedoms of women abroad on satellite TV and the Internet.
But the bigger push for this change and why women are being listened to now?
Because of the rising cost of living in Saudi Arabia, women have been entering the workplace in large numbers. That in turn has given them new economic clout in the family and greater leverage.
More basic: the middle class can no longer afford drivers.
How long for Saudi Arabia to change without the connectivity and economic pressures?
Forever.
But with them, anything is possible.
Good lesson.
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