User:Tarafa15/Saudi Arabia Women Reforms

Reforms
A number of reforms have aimed to improve the position of women in Saudi society.

On 25 September 2011, King Abdullah announced that Saudi women would gain the right to vote in municipal elections provided that a male guardian granted permission. Women voted for the first time in the 2015 municipal elections, when 978 women registered as the kingdom’s first female candidates.

In August 2013, a law was passed that criminalized domestic violence against women. The ban includes penalties of a 12-month jail sentence and fines of up to 50,000 riyals ($13,000). This was followed in 2018 by law criminalizing sexual harassment.

In December 2017 the country’s first concert by a female performer took place in Riyadh. The following month Saudi women were allowed to enter sports stadiums for the first time.

In March 2018, a law was passed allowing Saudi mothers to retain custody of their children after divorce without the need to file any lawsuits.

In June 2018, King Salman issued a decree allowing women to drive, lifting the world's only ban on women drivers.

The Saudi Vision 2030 program includes a commitment to increase female participation in the workforce from 22% to 30% by 2030. As of 2018 Saudi women can open businesses without a male's permission, work in the Public Prosecution Office and the Ministry of Justice, and join the military. In February that year there were 600,000 women employed in the private sector, up from 90,000 in 2011.