Editing Saudi Arabia (section)

=== Women in society ===
{{See also|Women's rights in Saudi Arabia|Women's education in Saudi Arabia}}

Throughout history, women did not have equal rights to men in the kingdom; the [[U.S. State Department]] considers Saudi Arabian government's discrimination against women a "significant problem" and notes that women have few political rights because of the government's discriminatory policies.<ref name= State2010>{{cite web |url=https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/nea/154472.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412164532/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/nea/154472.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 April 2011 |title=2010 Human Rights Report: Saudi Arabia |date=8 April 2011 |publisher=U.S. State Department |access-date=11 July 2011}}</ref> However, since Mohammed bin Salman was appointed Crown Prince in 2017, a series of social reforms have been witnessed regarding women's rights.

Under previous Saudi law, all females were required to have a male guardian ({{transliteration|ar|[[Wali (Islamic legal guardian)|wali]]}}), typically a father, brother, husband, or uncle ({{transliteration|ar|mahram}}). In 2019, this law was partially amended to exclude women over 21 years old from the requirement of a male guardian.<ref name=":22">{{Cite news |last=Chulob |first=Martin |date=2019-08-03 |title='We feel empowered': Saudi women relish their new freedoms |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/03/we-feel-empowered-saudi-women-relish-new-freedoms |access-date=2019-08-03 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The amendment also granted women rights in relation to the guardianship of minor children.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":32">{{Cite web |date=2019-08-02 |title=Saudi Arabia to allow adult women to travel, register divorce |url=https://nation.com.pk/02-Aug-2019/saudi-arabia-to-allow-adult-women-to-travel-register-divorce |access-date=2019-08-03 |website=The Nation |language=en}}</ref> Previously, girls and women were forbidden from travelling, conducting official business, or undergoing certain medical procedures without permission from their male guardians.<ref name="hrw-permission">{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/saudi-arabia |title=World Report 2013 – Saudi Arabia |date=9 January 2013 |work=Human Rights Watch |access-date=22 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109161037/http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2013/country-chapters/saudi-arabia |archive-date=9 January 2014}}</ref> In 2019, Saudi Arabia allowed women to travel abroad, register for divorce or marriage, and apply for official documents without the permission of a male guardian.

In 2006, [[Wajeha al-Huwaider]], a leading Saudi feminist and journalist said "Saudi women are weak, no matter how high their status, even the 'pampered' ones among them, because they have no law to protect them from attack by anyone."<ref>{{cite web|title=Saudi Writer and Journalist Wajeha Al-Huwaider Fights for Women's Rights|url=http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA31206|publisher=[[MEMRI]] | first= Aluma | last= Dankowitz | date= December 28, 2006 }}</ref> Following this, Saudi Arabia implemented the anti-[[Domestic violence in Saudi Arabia|domestic violence]] law in 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Saudi Arabia launches powerful ad campaign against domestic violence |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/05/01/saudi-arabia-launches-powerful-ad-campaign-against-domestic-violence/ |access-date=2022-08-08 |date= 1 May 2013 | first= Caitlin | last= Dewey}}</ref> Furthermore, between 2017 and 2020, the country addressed issues of mobility, sexual harassment, pensions, and employment-discrimination protections.<ref>{{Cite book |date=2020 |title=World Bank's Women, Business and the Law 2020 report |url=https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/32639/9781464815324.pdf |author=World Bank | author-link= World Bank | isbn = 978-1-4648-1533-1 | doi=10.1596/978-1-4648-1532-4 | lccn= 2020901241 | place=Washington, DC | publisher= World Bank Publications | page=11|hdl=10400.14/39334 |s2cid=214418106 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-01-14 |title=Saudi Arabia leads in women's legal gains at work, World Bank says |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-women-work-trfn-idUSKBN1ZD2NV |access-date=2020-01-16 | author1= Ellen Wulfhorst}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Nadworny |first1=Katie |date=2019-10-18 |title=Saudi Arabia's Legal Reforms Help Women in the Workforce |url=https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/global-saudi-arabia-legal-reforms-women-workforce.aspx |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=Society for Human Resources Management |language=en-US |archive-date=14 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814135751/https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/global-saudi-arabia-legal-reforms-women-workforce.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> al-Huwaider and other female activists have applauded the general direction in which the country was headed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 26, 2017 |title='I am so happy': Activist reacts to end of ban on female drivers in Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.4307609/i-am-so-happy-activist-reacts-to-end-of-ban-on-female-drivers-in-saudi-arabia-1.4308348 |access-date=December 16, 2021 |website=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref>

[[File:Princess Reema Remarks.jpg|thumb|left|[[Reema bint Bandar Al Saud|Princess Reema bint Bandar]], the [[List of ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to the United States|Saudi Ambassador to the United States of America]], delivering an address at an event honouring the 75th anniversary of [[Saudi Arabia–United States relations|Saudi-US relations]]]]

Women face discrimination in the courts, where the testimony of one man equals that of two women [[Legal system of Saudi Arabia#Family law|in family and inheritance law]].<ref name= State2010 /> Polygamy is permitted for men,<ref>[[#Long|Long]], p. 66</ref> and men have a unilateral right to divorce their wives ([[Divorce (Islamic)|talaq]]) without needing any legal justification.<ref name= Otto164>[[#Otto|Otto]], p. 164</ref> A woman can only obtain a divorce with the consent of her husband or judicially if her husband has harmed her.<ref name="Otto163">[[#Otto|Otto]], p. 163</ref> However, in 2022, women were granted the right to divorce and without the approval of a legal guardian under the new Personal Status Law.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-09 |title=Saudi Arabia Reforms Marriage Laws To Empower Women |url=https://www.abouther.com/node/47421/people/leading-ladies/saudi-arabia-reforms-marriage-laws-empower-women |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=About Her |language=en}}</ref> With regard to the law of inheritance, the Quran specifies that fixed portions of the deceased's estate must be left to the ''Qur'anic heirs''<ref name= Otto165>[[#Otto|Otto]], p. 165</ref> and generally, female heirs receive half the portion of male heirs.<ref name=Otto165 />