TRENDING

For all of you sporty ladies out there, P.E. class or sports practice is probably one of the best parts of your day. Imagine your school not even offering P.E. classes or having any sports teams. For the women of Saudi Arabia, this has been their reality. But now, public schools in the kingdom will offer physical education classes for women for the first time ever.

Saudi Arabia is notorious for imposing strict rules on what women can and cannot do, so this new reform is a step in the right direction. Why did it take so long? Many opposed women’s participation in sports because they felt that athletic clothing may cause women to lose their modesty, with others arguing that sports will lessen their femininity, something that Hatoon al-Fassi, a Saudi academic who studies women’s history, says these strictures aren't meant to protect.

But the classes have many supporters, with one telling the New York Times, “It is essential that girls around the kingdom have the opportunity to build their bodies, to care for the bodies and to respect their bodies.” 

The program will be introduced to public schools gradually. While there’s no word yet on what these classes will entail, they will be in accordance with all Islamic laws. 

Here’s to a new generation of athletes!

Did you know that women in Saudi Arabia weren't allowed to participate in physical education? Let us know in the comments. 

Photo credit: Fortune.

by Maddie McGee | 7/16/2017