It is 2018 and women in Saudi Arabia are finally allowed to open their own businesses without the permission of their male relatives. Saudi women earlier had needed a male guardian's approval and had to visit a notary to document the founding of a company. But now, all the start-up procedures will be carried out electronically. "Women can now launch their own businesses and benefit from [governmental] e-services without having to prove consent from a guardian," the ministry of commerce and investment said on its website. Together with the recent lifting of the ban on women driving, many see the present move as a positive shift in the deeply conservative kingdom. However, many see it more as an economic necessity than standing up for women empowerment. The Saudi Arabia government, to expand its private sector, is opening up opportunities for women so that it benefits the economy.

It is 2018 and women in Saudi Arabia are finally allowed to open their own businesses without the permission of their male relatives. Saudi women earlier had needed a male guardian's approval and had to visit a notary to document the founding of a company. But now, all the start-up procedures will be carried out electronically. "Women can now launch their own businesses and benefit from [governmental] e-services without having to prove consent from a guardian," the ministry of commerce and investment said on its website. Together with the recent lifting of the ban on women driving, many see the present move as a positive shift in the deeply conservative kingdom. However, many see it more as an economic necessity than standing up for women empowerment. The Saudi Arabia government, to expand its private sector, is opening up opportunities for women so that it benefits the economy.