Saudi Arabian Women Can Drive, But These 5 Things Are Still Illegal

Saudia Arabian women will now be permitted to obtain drivers licenses. King Salman, the country's leader, announced Tuesday that the long-established law would be lifted as early as June 2018. The royal decree also claimed that Saudi Arabian women would not need to seek their husbands' permission to obtain a license.

Saudi Arabia was the only country worldwide where women could be jailed for driving. The strict law resulted in several protests, which also led some women to defy the law. Some have defended the regulation by claiming that it would be inappropriate for women to drive, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

"We refer to the negative consequences of not allowing women to drive vehicles and the positive aspects of allowing it to do so, taking into consideration the application of the necessary legal controls and adherence to them," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said Tuesday.

The decision comes on the heels of a newly announced Saturday announcement that women would be allowed into sports stadiums for the first time ever. Saudia Arabia, however, is still a highly conservative country. The driving change won't alleviate the nation's women from other forms of repression.

Wearing 'Immodest' Clothes Or Makeup Isn't Allowed

Saudi women are restricted from wearing immodest clothing and makeup. Abayas — a long cloak — and a headscarf are often wardrobe staples. Foreigners, however, don't have to wear the headscarf in public.

There is still room for personal expression or fashion with abayas. Abayas are available in different colors, styles, patterns and cuts, according to The Economist.

Public Swimming Is Prohibited

Public swimming pools are only made accessible to Saudi Arabian men. Women are only permitted to use pools in private homes or at women-only gyms.

"As a woman, I wasn’t even allowed to look at them (“there are men in swimsuits there,” a hotel staffer told me with horror) — let alone use them," Arlene Getz, an editor for Reuters, wrote of her visit in April 2014. "There was a facility for women, but it was the gym that couldn’t say its name. Rather, we had to sidle up to the front desk, ask for the 'make-up room.'"

Women Are Often Segregated From Men

Interactions with men are limited in several environments. Several public buildings like universities and offices have separate entrances for men and women, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The segregation regulations also extend to restaurants, which prohibit women from dining out alone. Restaurants that serve both men and women reportedly have divided eating areas, National Geographic reported in 2016. There is a "singles" section for men-only and a "families" section, which is designated for men, women and children that are close relatives.

Women Can't Enter A Cemetary Unless They're Dead

Cemeteries are off limits to women — unless they're dead, that is.

Vanity Fair in 2010 detailed the difficulties of navigating the country as a female. Writer Maureen Dowd's tour guide informed her of the rule, saying, "Women are not allowed to go into cemeteries. Women can be buried there, but you are not allowed to go in and look into it."

Women Can't Try On Clothing At Stores

Trying on clothing in fitting rooms is deemed unacceptable. "The mere thought of a disrobed woman behind a dressing-room door is apparently too much for men to handle," Dowd reported for Vanity Fair.

Fitting rooms are often absent in many Saudi Arabian clothing stores because they're owned by men.