Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: a timeline
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1955 – first school for girls, 1970 – first university for women: girls have not always been able to go to school like these students in Riyadh. Enrolment at the first school for girls, Dar Al Hanan, began in 1955. The Riyadh College of Education, the first higher education institute for women, opened in 1970 -
2001 – ID cards for women: at the start of the 21st century, women could get personal ID cards for the first time. The cards are the only way for them to prove who they are, for example in disputes relating to inheritance or property issues. IDs were still only issued with the permission of a woman's guardian, though, and to the guardian instead of directly to the woman. Only in 2006 were women able to get IDs without permission -
2005 – end of forced marriages, on paper: Saudi Arabia banned forced marriage in 2005, but marriage contracts continue to be hammered out between the husband-to-be and the father of the bride, not the bride herself -
2009 – the first female government minister: in 2009, King Abdullah appointed the first female minister to Saudi Arabia's government. Noura al-Fayez became the deputy education minister for women's affairs -
2012 – first female Olympic athletes: Saudi Arabia agreed to allow female athletes to compete on the national team for the Olympics for the first time. One of them was Sarah Attar, who ran the women's 800 metre race at the 2012 Olympics in London wearing a headscarf. Before the Games, there was speculation that the Saudi Arabian team might be banned for gender discrimination if they didn't allow women to participate -
2013 – women are allowed to ride bicycles and motorbikes: Saudi leaders allowed women to ride bicycles and motorbikes for the first time in 2013 — but only in recreational areas, wearing full Islamic body covering and with a male relative present -
2013 – first women in the Shura: in February 2013, King Abdullah swore in the first 30 women to the Shura, Saudi Arabia's consultative council. This allowed women to be appointed to these positions, soon they would be allowed to actually run for office... -
2015 – Women may vote and be voted in: in Saudi Arabia's 2015 municipal elections, women were able to vote and run for office for the first time. By contrast, New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote, in 1893. Germany did so in 1919. At the 2015 Saudi polls, 20 women were elected to municipal roles in the absolute monarchy -
2017 – first female head of the Saudi stock exchange: in February 2017, the Saudi stock exchange names the first female chairperson in its history, Sarah Al Suhaimi -
2018 – women to be allowed to drive: on 26 September 2017, Saudi Arabia announced that women would soon be allowed to drive. Starting June 2018, they will no longer need permission from their male guardian to get a driver's licence and won't need their guardian in the car when they drive -
2018 – women to be allowed in sports stadiums: on 29 October 2017, the country's General Sports Authority announced that women would be allowed into sports stadiums for the first time. Three previously male-only arenas will soon be open for women as well, starting in early 2018