By Rob Corder
The ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia may soon be lifted according to a senior government official.
Saleh al-Turki, the chairman of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce, told a BBC documentary maker that women were playing a more and more active role in the Kingdom and it is only a matter of time before they are allowed to drive.
He said that increasing numbers of women entering the workforce will act as a catalyst to other changes. Only one in 20 women currently work, according to the BBC report.
"Once the rest of the society realises that allowing women going to work is not a challenge to anybody, it is to the benefit of society, to the benefit of the family, driving will not become a problem in my opinion," said Mr Turki.
There has been an increase in the number of reports of women flouting the Saudi Arabian driving ban in the past year.
Last Septmeber, a group called The Society for Protecting and Defending Women's Rights presented a petition to government demanding that "the right of women to drive is given back to us."
The petition text continued: "It's a right that was enjoyed by our mothers and grandmothers in complete freedom to [utilise] the means of transportation in those times."
---ArabianBusiness.com
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