https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2018/0319/948595-saudi-arabia-abaya-dress/
Women in Saudi Arabia need not wear head cover or the black abaya - the full-length robes symbolic of Islamic piety - as long as their attire is “decent and respectful”, the kingdom’s crown prince has said.
With the ascent to power of young Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the kingdom has seen an expansion in women’s rights including a decision to allow women to attend mixed public sporting events and the right to drive cars from this summer.
The changes have been hailed as proof of a new progressive trend towards modernisation in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom, although the gender-segregated nation continues to be criticised for its continued constraints on women.
