Disbelief, Joy and Resistance as Saudi Women Get First Passports
- Government lets women travel abroad without male permission
- Obstacles, questions remain as women contemplate new freedoms
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When Hayfa’s first passport as an adult woman was placed in her hands on Wednesday, she first carefully felt the cover and then made sure it was actually her name printed beneath the words “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Then joy took over. The masters programs she’d dreamed of studying and the job offers she’d declined because her family wouldn’t let her travel were finally within reach.