'Really happening': Saudi women mark first day of driving with road trips and calls for wider change
Saudi women hit the road as legal drivers for the first time Sunday, with a mix of celebration as one gender barrier fell and some activists called for the repeal of others.
Minutes after midnight in Saudi Arabia, a leader in the right-to-drive movement, Manal al-Sharif, launched the Twitter campaign #Miles4Freedom to seek an end to the kingdoms guardianship system, which requires a woman to get approval from a male relative for decisions such as travel abroad.
The end of male-only driving is seen as part of gradual cultural changes led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the next in line to the throne.
But allowing women to drive like many changes in the ultraconservative kingdom has been met with opposition from some conservatives and underscores deeper internal tensions over the crown princes challenges to the old order.
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