Watch: Women in Saudi Arabia attend public soccer game for the first time
At the start of 2018, women in Saudi Arabia were not permitted to attend public soccer matches. That changed Jan. 12, when the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah opened its doors to women.
It was the first time unaccompanied women were allowed into the stadium, as this video from PBS NewsHour explains:
As the above video states, Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a role in the movement. Since taking over as the country’s crown prince, he has made strides in improving gender equality in Saudi Arabia.
That extends beyond allowing women to enter sports stadiums, according to this profile from Forbes.
For the first time, girls in public schools will be allowed to play sports and get physical education. The women of Saudi Arabia will be allowed to enter some of the country’s sports stadiums, earlier an all-male preserve, while a royal decree issued last September will allow women the right to drive in the country, beginning June.
If you think it’s about time, you are not alone. The first woman in the video agrees, saying “honestly, this decision should have happened a long time ago.”
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
