regulations, issuing driver's licenses to men and women alike, are set to be implemented by June. A committee will be set up to study how to enforce the regulations.

According to a statement from the country's embassy in Washington, D.C., preparations will include "developing the infrastructure and institutional capacity, such as expanded licensing facilities and driver education programs, to accommodate millions of new drivers."

As NPR's Deb Amos has reported, "Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that effectively prohibits women from driving, a ban supported by conservative clerics. While there is no law formally banning female drivers, the government does not give them licenses."

Challenges to the ban gained steam in 1990, Deb says:

"In 1990, 47 women made the first attempt to challenge the ban. They all losttheir jobs, were prohibited from traveling for years, and were shunned for their defiance. "The next challenge came in 2011, when activist Maha al-Qatani was the first Saudi woman to get a traffic ticket. The campaign fizzled after some women were jailed for driving."

U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said of Saudi Arabia's decision to end the ban, "We're certainly happy to hear that. ... I think it's a great step in the right direction for that country."

It's worth noting that Saudi women face a wide array of laws under the male guardianship system that controls many aspects of their lives. According to Human Rights Watch, that system "treats them as legal minors, who cannot conduct official government business, travel abroad, marry, pursue higher education, or undergo certain