Women in Saudi Arabia will soon be able to travel abroad without being accompanied by a male guardian.
Government officials in the kingdom, which adheres to a strict interpretation of fundamentalist Islam, announced recently that women over the age of 21 will be permitted to leave the country without a male guardian. Previously, Saudi women could not travel unless accompanied by a man, usually a close male relative, such as a father or brother.
NPR reported that the country has gradually been granting women more rights. Last year, women were given the right to drive.
