In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Merciful, some of its items should be revised-Women"s rights in Saudi Arabia are a topic of concern and controversy internationally. According to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, women in Saudi Arabia experience discrimination in relation to marriage, family, and divorce, despite recent reforms.[8][9] The Saudi government remains to target and repress women"s rights activists and movements.[10] Women"s societal roles in Saudi Arabia are heavily affected by Islamic and local traditions of the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi women have experienced major rights reforms since 2017,[11][12][13][14] after facing religious fundamentalist dominance dating from 1979.[15][16] Prominent feminist campaigns include the Women to Drive Movement[17] and the anti male-guardianship campaign.[18][19] These campaigns have resulted in significant advances in women"s rights.[20] The Hanbali and Wahhabi schools of Sunni Islam, the traditions of the Arabian Peninsula and national and local laws, all impact women"s rights in Saudi Arabia.[21]
Rankings
In the World Economic Forum"s Global Gender Gap Report 2022, Saudi Arabia was ranked 146th out of 153 countries.[7] In the World Bank"s 2021 Women, Business, and the Law index, Saudi Arabia scored 80 out of 100, an above-average global score.[22][23] The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) elected Saudi Arabia to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women for 2018 to 2022, which was widely criticized by the international community.[24][25] According to the World Bank, Saudi Arabia made significant improvements to working conditions for women between 2017 and 2020, addressing issues of mobility, sexual harassment, pensions, and workplace rights including employment-discrimination protections.[26][27]
Timeline of female empowerment

• In 1955, Queen Iffat initiated the first private school for girls in Jeddah.[28]
• In 1960, King Saud issued a royal decree that made public schools for girls accessible all around the country.[29]
• In 1970, the first higher education institution for women was founded.[30]
• In 1999, Saudi Arabia agreed to issue women national ID cards.[31]
• In 2005, Saudi Arabia banned forced marriages.[32]
• In 2009, the first Saudi female minister was appointed in the Cabinet.[33]
• In 2011, King Abdullah allowed women for the first time to vote in the 2015 local elections and be appointed to the Consultative Assembly, the national legislature.[34]
• In 2012, Saudi women joined the Summer Olympics for the first time.[35]
• In 2013, Saudi Arabia allowed women to ride motorbikes and bicycles in recreational areas.[36]
• Since 2013, the Consultative Assembly has required that women hold at least 20% of seats,[37] which exceeded the representation of women in the United States Congress at one point.[38][39]
• In February 2017, Saudi Arabia appointed the first woman to chair the Saudi Arabian stock exchange, the largest stock market in the Middle East.[40]
• In May 2017, King Salman ordered that women be allowed access to government services, such as education and healthcare, without needing consent from a male guardian.[41]
• In September 2017, King Salman issued a decree allowing women to drive, lifting the decades-old ban on female drivers.[42]
• In October 2017, women were allowed into sport stadiums.[43]
• In 2018, public statements by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and legislation restricting the powers of the religious police led many Saudi women to abandon wearing the hijab in public.[44][45]
• In November 2018, Saudi Arabia issued a resolution that prohibits wage discrimination of women who perform work similar to their male counterparts in the private sector.[46]
• In January 2019, the Saudi Supreme Court issued a law requiring courts to notify women of divorce via text,[47] as guardian laws have allowed men to divorce their wives without notice. The previous policy of divorce without any notice created confusion and left many women homeless.
• As of August 1, 2019, women have the right to register for divorce and marriage, apply for passports and other official documents, and travel abroad without their guardian"s permission.[48][49] The laws also extend employment-discrimination protections to women, allow them to register as co-head of a household, live independently from their husband, and to become eligible for the guardianship of minors.[50][51]
• In October 2019, the Saudi Ministry of Defense stated that women can join senior ranks in the military.[52]
• In December 2019, Saudi Arabia issued a ban on marriages for people under the age of 18 for both sexes.[53][54]
• In August 2020, the Saudi Cabinet approved an amendment that deletes the articles which prohibited women from working at night and working in hazardous jobs and industries.[55][46]
• In January 2021, women can now change their personal data, such as their family name, name of children, and their marital status, without the need for a guardian"s permission.[56]
• In June 2021, Saudi Arabia allowed single, divorced, or widowed women to live independently in a house without permission from their male guardian.[57][58]
• In July 2021, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah allowed women to register to perform the Hajj without being accompanied by a mahram.[59]
• In March 2022, Muslim women over the age of 45 were allowed to perform the Umrah without a male guardian.[60] Shortly after, a new decision was announced allowing Muslim women under 45 years old to travel without a male guardian to perform both the Hajj and Umrah rites.[61][62]
• In July 2022, the first woman Deputy Secretary-General of the Saudi Cabinet was appointed.[63]
• In September 2022, Saudi Arabia appointed the first woman as head of the Saudi Human Rights Commission.[64]
• In 22 September 2022, Saudi Arabia announced sending the first woman to space in early 2023 as part of the Saudi Space Commission"s new space program.[65][66]