Saudi women vote Saturday for the first time in elections but still face a host of other restrictions, among the tightest in the world.
Under Saudi policies and practices women cannot:
– Drive. Saudi Arabia is the world's only country banning women from getting behind the wheel.
– Travel, without the consent of a male family member known as a guardian
– Marry, without the consent of a guardian
– Work, without the consent of a guardian
– Appear in public without covering herself in a black abaya robe from head to toe
– Receive the same amount of inheritance as a man
– Work in certain jobs
– Mingle with unrelated men in public places such as restaurants
– Divorce as easily as a man
Saudi women can:
– Vote in municipal elections, the kingdom's only polls for public officials
– Sit on the Shura Council, an appointed body which advises cabinet
– Hold the most senior corporate executive posts
– Work in government administration and an expanding number of private sector areas, including as lawyers
– Be forced to marry at a young age, as there is no legally defined minimum age
