Saudi Arabia celebrates first ever Women’s Day to fight for gender equality

International Women’s Day is widely celebrated across the globe where people pledge their support for gender equality and celebrate the achievements of women and has become a regular event in the social calendar. Yet, many countries beyond this ambit and Saudi Arabia is one such nation where many basic rights are

denied to its women. But in a great move, the orthodox country celebrated its first ever Women’s Day. The just concluded affair in Riyadh saw members of the royal family participating as well in a bid to fight for women’s rights. “The three-day gathering, which was held from February 1 to 4 at the King Fahd Cultural Centre, featured talks from advocates of a woman’s right to drive, as well as other legal rights for women, including freedom of guardianship,” the Emirates Women said in a report.

In the ultra-conservative kingdom, women are denied many things that might seem extremely unobjectionable, such as driving, going out on their, a trial of clothes before shopping, participating in sports and interacting with any men outside the family. In fact, according to The World Economic Forum’s 2015 Global Gender Gap report, Saudi Arabia ranks at 134 out of 145 countries for gender equality.