Ideas change everything

A Saudi woman who dared to drive

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Manal al-Sharif |

TEDGlobal 2013

• June 2013

There's no actual law against women driving in Saudi Arabia. But it's forbidden. Two years ago, Manal al-Sharif decided to encourage women to drive by doing so -- and filming herself for YouTube. Hear her story of what happened next.

There's no actual law against women driving in Saudi Arabia. But it's forbidden. Two years ago, Manal al-Sharif decided to encourage women to drive by doing so -- and filming herself for YouTube. Hear her story of what happened next.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

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About the speaker

Manal al-Sharif

Women’s rights activist

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Manal al-Sharif advocates for women’s right to drive, male guardianship annulment, and family protection in Saudi Arabia.

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"Saudi Arabia Agrees to Let Women Drive"

Saudi Arabia announced on in September 2017 that it would allow women to drive, ending a longstanding policy that has become a global symbol of the oppression of women in the ultraconservative kingdom.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.