Saudi Arabia Has First Election with Female Voters and Female Council Seat Winners

December 13 was a historic day in Saudi Arabia. The country opened its first ever elections to both female voters and candidates.

Among the winners were 20 women from different parts of the country, located in different areas of the country, from the largest cities to the smallest villages. Some of the women were well known in their respective towns, but others were known nationally.

Al Jazeera reported positive and hopeful feelings female voters had about the elections. One female voter, Najla Harir said, "I exercised my electoral right. We are optimistic about a bright future for women in our homeland."

The level of recognition the women had most likely had some effect on how the voting turned out, as Nora Alkhaldi told The Washington Post. "In Saudi Arabia, if your dad is well connected to the business world, many doors open for you - same goes if your dad is a tribal chief who has the loyalty of his people"

Regardless of the family backgrounds that some of the candidates may have had, it is a chance for the women in Saudi Arabia to start proving to the country that they deserve this new step towards democratic and gender equality. In a country that is the only one to ban women from driving and requires its female citizens to have a male guardian - usually a family member - to approve such activities as traveling, working, and marriage, this was an important step.

The female winners claimed only 20 out of the total 2,100 or so municipal council seats available. The overall voter turnout was at 47 percent, but with voting now open to women, the voter turnout based on gender is 44 percent male and 82 percent female.

979 women competed among the total 7,000 or so candidates. Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh had the largest amount of women candidates win, with four, as Mashable reported. Jiddah, the country's second-largest city elected two women and two were also elected in the conservative al-Qassim region.

There are no mandated allocations for female council members. The council seats allow the winners to engage in local affairs like managing budgets and advising authorities.

With the 20 women entering the council seats in the New Year, the status of gender equality in Saudi Arabia is finally starting to change on a more influential scale. Women are doctors and engineers, as one of the candidates told Al Jazeera, but with this new step towards a larger responsibly to their community and their country, the women of Saudi Arabia may start to have more opportunities to make more decisions as independents.