Saudi Arabia's Lifting Women Driver Ban Is an Economic Play
*By Jacqueline Corba*
For the first time in nearly three decades, women are allowed to get behind the wheel of a car in Saudi Arabia.
And while the change that went into effect Sunday may be a step forward for women's rights in the kingdom, it is also an economic move.
"The driving ban being lifted has been one in a set of limited economic and social reforms aimed specifically at making women good workers and good consumers," Human Rights Watch Acting Saudi Researcher Hiba Zayadin told Cheddar Monday. "With the drop in oil prices Saudi's strategy now is to shift the economy away from an over-dependence on oil."
And to do that, it means getting women to work.
Saudi Arabia's workforce is currently only [22 percent female](https://www.ft.com/content/c55d6cf4-8cd3-11e7-9084-d0c17942ba93), though women account for about 45 percent of the total population. PwC estimates that the number of female drivers will [reach 3 million within two years](https://www.pwc.com/m1/en/publications/women-driving-the-transformation-of-the-ksa-automotive-market.html), and if those women are better able to look for employment, that's going to have an impact. In fact, allowing women to drive will add $90 billion to Saudi Arabia's economy by 2030, according to [Bloomberg Economics](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-24/saudi-women-driving-is-seen-better-for-economy-than-aramco-ipo).
But getting everybody on board may not be so easy. The move, spearheaded by Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, [has some afraid of backlash](https://www.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=saudi%20arabia&page=2) from men reluctant to adopt more western norms. And many who champion equality reportedly remain detained for taking such a stance.
"The women's rights activists currently behind bars should be out there celebrating as well," said Zayadin. "What you are seeing on the news is women smiling with drivers licenses, but at the same time people are afraid to show solidarity for the women behind bars."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/saudi-arabia-lifts-womens-driving-ban)
A bipartisan group of 43 representatives joined forces in a letter to President Joe Biden to remind the executive branch that it must seek the approval of Congress before authorizing a war — whether or not its in Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore. 4th District) led the effort and joined Cheddar News Wrap to explain. "It's time for Congress to get back the authority, which is vested to us in the constitution, not in the executive branch," he said. "The president. once we're at war, we speak with one voice with the commander in chief. But before that, it's up to the American people and Congress whether or not we're going to become engaged in a war."
Chris Konstantinos, Chief Investment Strategist at RiverFront Investment Group, explains why he remains encouraged about the S&P and the state of the market despite the major indexes closing mostly lower on Monday.
President Joe Biden will be delivering his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and with so many issues from Ukraine to inflation, everyone will be focused on what he might say. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y. 11th District) joined Cheddar News to discuss what she thinks the president should address. "I think what he hasn't done yet is go after the gas, the oil, the minerals, the mining industries, that is incredibly important," she said. "There's still some banks there that are not sanctioned. He needs to go after all the banks, but I also think that providing the equipment that Ukraine needs to continue to protect its capital and its country are incredibly important."
As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, one of its few big allies remaining appears to be China. Gordon Chang, Asian affairs expert and author of "The Coming Collapse of China," joined Cheddar News to discuss what might be behind China's support for Putin's current strategy. “I think China is looking at what Putin did yesterday, which is to raise his nuclear forces on a higher alert level,” Chang stated, “If they see that Putin gets away with his nuclear threats, which he's been making over the last three or four days, then I'm sure that Beijing is going to ramp up its threats as well, and it could ramp them up against any number of different countries with which it perceives it has a problem with"
Joel Rubin, president of the Washington Strategy Group and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, joins Cheddar News to discuss the Russia-Ukraine tensions and the new sanctions President Biden placed on Russia.
Officials from Ukraine and Russia have begun meeting along the Belarus border to discuss a potential end to the ongoing invasion, even as the fighting continues to drag on. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas 9th District) joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, what to expect from President Joe Biden's State of The Union Address, and the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court. "I'm still hopeful, and I hope that Mr. Putin will understand that he has united the world against him," Green said of the new round of peace talks.
Within hours of Russia's first attack on Ukraine, President Joe Biden addressed the nation by stating that the White House will impose wider sanctions on Russian banks. These sanctions could result in damage to the Russian economy. Host of "Oh My World" on Youtube and Former Spokesperson for the U. S. Mission to the U. N. Hagar Chemali, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
