In the classic movie What About Bob? psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfus) encourages his patient Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) to celebrate what he calls “baby steps.” These are the small victories that, when compiled one upon the other, add up to big changes. Unfortunately for the doctor, Bob is much more needy than he anticipated and ends up baby-stepping his way into Dr. Marvin’s family vacation.

The advice that the good doctor gives is actually solid. When there is a huge mountain of change that needs to be scaled, it will only happen one step at a time. Each of those steps is worthy of celebration because it gets you that much closer to the summit. This is why I am quick to celebrate the recent reforms regarding women in Saudi Arabia. As part of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform program, the rights of women in the kingdom are taking significant steps forward. I recently listed four major advances in an opinion article in the Jerusalem Post:

—Independence: At age 22, women (and men) are free to work and travel without approval of a guardian.

—Equality: Women are guaranteed equal protection and equal pay in the workplace.

—Status: Women can finally be considered “head of the household” according to the law.

—Empowerment: Women can now fully and independently manage legal and business affairs.[1]

A Westerner looking at this list would likely say, “Well, of course women should have these rights.” Those who know the Saudi culture, however, will recognize the significance of these changes. Thankfully, more and more of the nation’s leaders are advocating for this kind of reform. Recently, a senior Saudi official wrote to me, “This decision affirms the kingdom’s commitment to its vision in realizing the full potential of Saudi women, and their full integration into our society. . . . This is driven by our leadership’s belief that the empowerment of women is a central pillar of Vision 2030, that we cannot move forward if half of the population does not enjoy equal rights before the law, and that our development goals are unattainable without gender equality.”[2]

There are those who, in response, will point out the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the kingdom’s poor record on human rights. And they are right to do so. There is still a long way to go before Saudi Arabia can be considered a nation where there is freedom and liberty for all. However, like Bob, I think it is right to celebrate the baby steps. Even though the Saudis are far from the summit of equality for all, they are closer today than they have been in the past. Let’s pray that their movement continues in the forward direction.

-Joel

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[1] Rosenberg, Joel C. “Noteworthy but Not Enough.” The Jerusalem Post, 13 Aug. 2019, https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Noteworthy-but-not-enough-598437.

[2] Ibid.