News Exercise #205

1. What impact will this new law have on Saudi Arabia’s economy?
2. What had happened to one campaigner when she drove out of protest in the past?
3. Who had been the long-standing opponents to women’s driving rights in Saudi Arabia, and what was their reasoning?
4. Who is the proponent of this new law, and what is his vision?

Answers:
1. What impact will this new law have on Saudi Arabia’s economy?
There are currently about 800,000 chauffeurs in Saudi Arabia, and so many of them will lose their jobs.
2. What had happened to one campaigner when she drove out of protest in the past?
She was targeted by a campaign to shame her; she lost her job, she lost her child custody, and eventually she had to leave her country – otherwise she may have been imprisoned.
3. Who had been the long-standing opponents to women’s driving rights in Saudi Arabia, and what was their reasoning?
It was the religious clerics who had opposed equal rights. They had believed that giving women the right to drive would bring a breakdown in morals, and elicit extramarital affairs.
4. Who is the proponent of this new law, and what is his vision?
The Crown Prince introduced this as part of his “Vision 2030” plan to modernise Saudi Arabia.