Saudi Arabia finally lifted its notorious ban on female drivers in 2018, ending its status as the absolute last country on Earth where women were legally prohibited from operating a motor vehicle.

A closer look

Saudi Arabia finally lifted its notorious ban on female drivers in 2018, ending its status as the absolute last country on Earth where women were legally prohibited from operating a motor vehicle. For decades, the government argued with a straight face that driving would damage women's ovaries, lead to rampant promiscuity, and inevitably cause the total collapse of traditional family values. The actual result of the policy change simply meant women could finally drive themselves to the grocery store instead of paying expensive chauffeurs or relying entirely on their irritated male relatives for basic logistical survival. It is utterly fascinating that a civilization capable of building massive skyscrapers and hyper-modern cities spent decades absolutely terrified by the sheer destructive societal power of a woman merging into the passing lane. The true miracle of the automobile is that it exposes just how fragile fragile masculinity can be when confronted with a steering wheel