is no difference he remarkedhe acknowledged that saudi arabia has been dominated by an ultraconservative interpretation of islam that was wary of nonmuslims deprived women of basic rights and constricted social life the new york times reportedbin salmans rise to power has been accompanied by an easing of restrictions on womens dress and an expansion of their role in the work force he said the government was working on policies to ensure equal payhowever women in saudi arabia are still bound by socalled guardianship laws that give male relatives control over aspects of their liveswhat women still cant do the islamic nation male guardianship system which subjects women to full dependence on their male counterparts fathers brothers husbands sons in nearly all aspects of public life has received criticism over the years as it is considered a hindrance to womens liberty under the system women are required to present proof of permission from a male guardian normally the husband father or brother to do any government paperwork apply for a national id card or passport travel or enrol in classeswomen here cannot marry divorce get a passport travel open a bank account or have a medical procedure without permission from their male guardiansthey must limit their interactions with males outside their immediate families and can be imprisoned for such an offence they cannot eat at restaurants that dont have a separate family section and are not allowed to use public swimming pools that are also used by men they cannot appear in public without wearing the abaya islamic restriction also prevents muslim women from marrying nonmuslims in case of divorce women cant retain custody of their children after they reach the age of seven for boys and nine for girlsin addition they cant get a fair hearing in court where the testimony of one man equals that of two women the legal position in saudi arabia of a woman is equal to that of a minor and therefore she has little authority over her own life further women cannot receive an equal inheritance under sharia inheritance laws daughters receive half what is awarded to their brotherswhile the crown prince is working hard to modernise the nation and a number of reforms on womens freedom in the kingdom have taken place these archaic rules still remain to be addressedinputs from reuters ap afp