Uber’s $3.5 billion deal with Saudi Arabia hasn’t gone down well with Saudi women
The deal between the only country in the world that bans female drivers and Silicon Valley’s ride-sharing company Uber Technologies Inc. may be as unusual as it is convenient. What’s sure is that it’s caused outrage among many Saudi women.
They are angry that Uber’s new $3.5 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund not only means the government directly profits from the ban, but also it effectively – in their view – endorses the country’s no-women-behind-the-wheel policy. The investment is part of the ultra-conservative Gulf country’s steps toward making money from things other than oil.
SEE ALSO:Uber Meets Wary Judge in Pursuit of $100 Million Driver DealBut it raised hackles on social media, where the hashtag سعوديات_يعلن_مقاطعه_اوبر# (Saudi women announce Uber boycott) gained traction, and women posted pictures showing them deleting Uber apps from their phones.
Tweet may have been deletedTranslation: "Saudi women announce Uber boycott"
Uber has operated in Riyadh since 2014, and along with another service, Careem, is popular with Saudi women, who have sought the right to drive for more than two decades. They are forced to pay chauffeurs, most of them foreigners, or rely on male members of the family to drive them.
"They’re investing in our pain, in our suffering," Hatoon al-Fassi, a Saudi women’s historian who teaches at Qatar University, said in an interview from Doha. "This institutionalizes women’s inferiority and dependency, and it turns women into an object of investment."
Paying Drivers
Saudi women lead restricted lives beyond the right to drive. They need permission from a mahram, or male guardian, to get an education or to travel and for some medical treatments. Though more jobs are now open to them, hundreds of dollars from the money they make go toward paying drivers.
SEE ALSO:No Uber IPO in Sight After $3.5 Billion From Saudi ArabiaThe deal with Uber, the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s highest-profile overseas investment yet, is part of a transformation program to wean the Saudi economy off oil. The official Saudi Press Agency reported the transaction without saying how it will impact the ban on driving. Officials could not be reached during the Saudi weekend.
Jill Hazelbaker, an Uber spokeswoman, said the company at least is adding to the options for people to get from A to B in Saudi Arabia.
"Of course we think women should be allowed to drive," she told the New York Times. "In the absence of that, we have been able to provide extraordinary mobility that didn’t exist before – and we’re incredibly proud of that." An Uber spokeswoman in London couldn't be reached by Bloomberg for comment.
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Saudi-owned TV network Al-Arabiya, endorsed that view.
“Nobody should view the Uber investment as a way to enforce the driving-ban. On the contrary: it is an immediate and practical ‘work-around’ that actually empowers women and facilitates their movement and productivity,” he said.
SEE ALSO:What the Saudi Stake in Uber Means for the Unicorn BubbleSupport for the women also came from some men, including Maan Al-Sharif, a 20-year-old Saudi in Khobar:
Translation: "Saudi Arabia’s investment in Uber is the biggest proof that banning women from driving is a purely economic reason. Religion and society are just excuses that only fools believe"
One woman spoke about the difficulty in getting around, and then lashed out at Uber.
Tweet may have been deleted
Others did the same:
Tweet may have been deleted
Al-Fassi, the historian in Doha, said the deal was "opportunistic." She said the Saudi transformation plan was meant to empower women and open more job opportunities for them, helping stimulate the economy. "Women can’t be any of those if they’re under the mercy of a guardian and the mercy of a driver."
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
-
When will Trump and Harris debate? The presidential campaigns snipe over ABC News’ rules.秋叶染彩林 秋雪迎国庆Will TikTok be banned in the U.S.? Explaining why Joe Biden signed the ChinaLara Trump song “Anything Is Possible”: The Republican National Committee coThe Measurers启动千城万店,让世界品味奇香杏花鸡!封开与莞篮子达成战略合作路遇交通事故命悬一线 民生救护员出手相救缤纷夏日 活力雅客Gastro Obscura's Guide to Where to Eat in Nashville车流量持续增加 泸定新沟收费站出站口“堵得凶”
- ·GPU Mining is Dead, Where are my Cheap GPUs?
- ·广东启动2024年林草湿调查监测
- ·我市5家企业入选四川首批市州重点上市培育企业
- ·未来一周天气较稳定,气温整体较高
- ·Prime exclusive deal: $50 off Govee floor lamp
- ·Horses loose in London!
- ·2017年四川省青少年羽毛球锦标赛落幕
- ·韶关翁源:“中国兰花第一县”绽放高质量发展之花
- ·Best CPU Deals, AMD vs Intel: Holiday CPU Buying Guide
- ·社论丨为预制菜健康发展贡献“标准”力量
- ·围绕“司法为民、公正司法”主线 妥善化解纠纷 维护社会稳定
- ·潮州潮安区文祠镇“1+6+N”基层社会治理手段“上新”
- ·How to unblock Xnxx for free
- ·新一轮强降雨来袭!主要农作物大雨暴雨防灾减灾措施看这里
- ·防汛抗汛在一线!“农友圈”联动肇庆市供销社实地探索农服合作
- ·社论丨为预制菜健康发展贡献“标准”力量
- ·Haider all set for Paralympics Ceremony
- ·领略“熊猫老家”魅力 深化中外文明交流互鉴
- ·Lara Trump song “Anything Is Possible”: The Republican National Committee co
- ·Supreme Court: Lawyer defending abortion ban irritates Amy Coney Barrett.
- ·广东超一半的北运淡水鱼来自这里!全链发力打响“南海鱼”金字招牌
- ·Lara Trump song “Anything Is Possible”: The Republican National Committee co
- ·市工商局“三举措”齐发力 护航我市首届熊猫灯会
- ·我市5家企业入选四川首批市州重点上市培育企业
- ·NYT mini crossword answers for August 29
- ·创新发展闯新路 团结队伍创佳绩
- ·Webb scientists haven't found a rocky world with air. But now they have a plan.
- ·深挖研究藏茶文化 开创藏茶发展新思路
- ·路遇交通事故命悬一线 民生救护员出手相救
- ·潮州潮安区文祠镇“1+6+N”基层社会治理手段“上新”
- ·16 of the Most Epic Sandwiches Around the Planet
- ·寒假亲子游受青睐 培训班成假期“标配”
- ·锚定百亿产值!河源高质量发展油茶产业
- ·Gaza famine: What debates over Palestinians in extreme hunger during the Israel
- ·PS5 Pro: There are new whispers that the release date is fast approaching
- ·社论丨为预制菜健康发展贡献“标准”力量