Striding Toward Freedom

When Raghda and Rafaa Abuazzah declared two years ago that they wanted jobs in a coffee shop in Medina, their parents were horrified. Saudi Arabia had just made it legal for women to decide for themselves if they want to work outside their homes, but that didn’t change their father’s attitudes about what was appropriate for his daughters.

“What will people say? You’ll be in public!” he exclaimed. “It’s fine to work in an office because no one can see you there. But how can you work with men?”

His reaction was typical of many parents in Saudi Arabia.

In the past three years, this socially and religiously conservative country has implemented a rash of changes giving women rights and freedoms they’ve never before had. In addition to the right to work, women have gained the right to drive, to travel, to attend sporting events, and to keep custody of their children without a man’s permission.

Two years ago, Raghda and Rafaa Abuazzah declared that they wanted jobs in a coffee shop in Medina. The announcement horrified their parents. Saudi Arabia had just made it legal for women to decide for themselves if they want to work outside their homes. Despite that, their father hadn’t changed his views about what was suitable for his daughters.

“What will people say? You’ll be in public!” he exclaimed. “It’s fine to work in an office because no one can see you there. But how can you work with men?”

His reaction was typical of many parents in Saudi Arabia.

In the past three years, things have shifted in this socially and religiously conservative country. There has been a wave of changes giving women rights and freedoms they’ve never before had. Women have gained the right to work. In addition, they’ve gained the right to drive, to travel, and to attend sporting events. And they can even keep custody of their children without a man’s permission.

But changing the law doesn’t change a society, so the extent to which women can take advantage of these new rights depends enormously on their families—the fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons who still serve as their legal guardians.

Revan Moha, an 18-year-old who lives in Riyadh, doesn’t dare tell her father that she has a job in a coffee shop where the baristas and the customers—both men and women—mix freely.

“I really don’t care what people say, but my parents do,” Moha says. Despite all the government reforms, she adds, “if your family is traditional, it wouldn’t help at all.”

But changing the law doesn’t change a society. Women’s fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons still serve as their legal guardians. That means that their families largely control how and if they can use these new rights.

Revan Moha is an 18-year-old who lives in Riyadh. She doesn’t dare tell her father that she has a job in a coffee shop where the baristas and the customers—both men and women—mix freely.

“I really don’t care what people say, but my parents do,” Moha says. Despite all the government reforms, she adds, “if your family is traditional, it wouldn’t help at all.”

Saudi Arabia is one of the most powerful nations in the Middle East. Its influence stems largely from its vast oil wealth and its position as the birthplace of Islam. For decades, a strict fundamentalist interpretation of Islam has governed all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia, with the Koran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad effectively serving as a constitution.

One of the most important ways Saudi religious law has affected life in the nation is in its treatment of gender relations. Unrelated men and women have traditionally been completely segregated from one another. Women have had to wear black head-to-toe coverings called abayas in public. Marriages have been arranged by families, with the couple usually meeting for the first time when they become engaged.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most powerful nations in the Middle East. Its influence stems largely from its vast oil wealth and its position as the birthplace of Islam. For decades, a strict fundamentalist view of Islam has influenced all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia. In many ways, the Koran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad have served as a constitution.

One of the most important ways Saudi religious law has affected life in the nation is in its treatment of gender relations. Unrelated men and women have traditionally been completely segregated from one another. Women have had to wear black head-to-toe coverings called abayas in public. Marriages have been arranged by families. Couples usually meet for the first time when they become engaged.

All these strictures have begun to break down under pressure from the country’s young de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He has stripped religious police—who used to hassle women if their clothing wasn’t modest enough—of their power to arrest people. (The prince has also been accused of imprisoning critics of the regime, including women who pushed for greater rights, and ordering the murder of a Saudi journalist who wrote for The Washington Post.)

As the social codes that long governed their lives relax their grip, more women are wearing their hair uncovered and mingling openly with men—at least in larger cities. As of last December, businesses are no longer required to separate men and women.

Saudi men and women can now mingle at movie theaters, concerts, and sporting events. Young entrepreneurs are opening places where Saudi artists and filmmakers can meet like-minded people of both sexes.

All these limits have begun to break down under pressure from the country’s young de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Religious police used to hassle women if their clothing wasn’t modest enough. That no longer happens, as the prince has stripped them of their power to arrest people. But the prince has also been caught up in some controversy. He has been accused of imprisoning critics of the regime. That includes women who pushed for greater rights. There are also claims that he ordered the murder of a Saudi journalist who wrote for The Washington Post.

The social codes that long governed women’s lives are relaxing their grip. Now, more women are wearing their hair uncovered and mingling openly with men—at least in larger cities. As of last December, businesses are no longer required to separate men and women.

Saudi men and women can now mingle at movie theaters, concerts, and sporting events. Young entrepreneurs are opening places where Saudi artists and filmmakers can meet like-minded people of both sexes.

For a long time, Raghda and Rafaa Abuazzah seemed fated to follow the path of their five older sisters: arranged marriages while still young; children soon thereafter; faces covered with the niqab, the black veil that reveals only the eyes. The younger siblings were not looking forward to it.

“Me and Raghda were so depressed,” says Rafaa. “We thought: We can’t do anything. We don’t have choices. This isn’t the life we want to live.”

For a long time, Raghda and Rafaa Abuazzah seemed fated to follow the path of their five older sisters. That meant they’d have arranged marriages while still young and children soon thereafter. Their faces would have to be covered with the niqab, the black veil that reveals only the eyes. The younger siblings were not looking forward to it.

“Me and Raghda were so depressed,” says Rafaa. “We thought: We can’t do anything. We don’t have choices. This isn’t the life we want to live.”

But the social revolution going on in Saudi Arabia has changed the course of their lives. These days, Raghda serves lattes at a strip-mall coffee shop and her sister works at a nearby event space hosting community gatherings. Their co-workers and customers include men and women. Though their hair remains covered, their faces are bare. And their parents are adjusting.

“My parents are against me working here. But it’s so good to finally be myself,” says Raghda. “Now, I’m free. I can finally talk to people without covering my face.”

But the social revolution going on in Saudi Arabia has changed the course of their lives. These days, Raghda serves lattes at a strip-mall coffee shop. Her sister works at a nearby event space hosting community gatherings. Their co-workers and customers include men and women. Though their hair remains covered, their faces are bare. And their parents are adjusting.

“My parents are against me working here. But it’s so good to finally be myself,” says Raghda. “Now, I’m free. I can finally talk to people without covering my face.”

Vivian Yee covers the Middle East for The New York Times.

Vivian Yee covers the Middle East for The New York Times.