Saudi Arabia allows women to travel without male 'guardian' approval

The regulation effectively allows women over the age of 21 to obtain passports and leave the country without their guardian's permission, the pro-government Okaz newspaper said [Photo, AFP]

Saudi Arabia will allow women to travel abroad without approval from a male "guardian", the government said Thursday, ending a restriction that drew international censure and prompted extreme attempts to flee the kingdom.

The landmark reform erodes the longstanding guardianship system that renders adult women as legal minors and allows their "guardians" -- husband, father and other male relatives -- to exercise arbitrary authority over them.