This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
On August 2, 2019, Saudi Arabia took a significant step towards gender equality by abolishing its guardianship policy, which had required male consent for women to travel or carry a passport.
The changes, approved by King Salman and his Cabinet, grant any citizen 21 and older the right to travel abroad without prior consent and to apply for a Saudi passport on their own.
Additionally, women are now allowed to register a marriage, divorce, or child's birth and to be issued official family documents.
The decrees were published in the kingdom's official weekly gazette, sparking a mix of reactions on Twitter, with some Saudis celebrating the changes while others expressed criticism from a conservative perspective.
