For the first time ever, Saudi Arabia will allow women to attend the National Day celebrations with their families at King Fahd Stadium, set to take place on Sept. 23.
The sports stadium in Riyadh, which is mostly used for football matches, will mark the kingdom's 87th National Day by welcoming entire families.
The venue was previously open to males only. However, it seems as though the times they are a-changing.
"The stadium is ready to receive about 40,000 people divided between individuals and families to be seated separately," the official Saudi Press Agency said in a statement.
Single men will still be seated separately, according to Arab News.
National Day celebrations in previous years banned women from entering sports arenas under the kingdom's >strict rules of gender segregation in public.
This system generally sees two sections, a 'Singles' section, which is for men, and a 'Family' section, for women and families.
Women in the kingdom have been >discriminated against in nearly all aspects of public life due to a fundamentalist interpretation of Sharia law. Saudi Arabia is the only country where women are not allowed to drive.
But, it seems as though the kingdom is slowly starting to give women their basic rights - something they've been >demanding for years via online and offline campaigns.
Saudi Arabia's >guardianship system, which subjects women to full dependence on their fathers, brothers, husbands or sometimes even sons, is seen as a hindrance to women's progress in the kingdom.
The kingdom has >amended a number of laws in an effort to empower women, including a new royal decree allowing women to apply for work permits, medical, and educational services – without male consent.
In February, Saudi Arabia >celebrated its first ever Women's Day in a three-day event, which took place at the King Fahd Cultural Center.
These changes are all part of a broader ecosystem of reforms that Saudi Arabia has been spearheading under Vision 2030.