Look: Saudi women move from behind wheel to under the hood

Ola Flimban (L) and Ghada Ahmed work on a car at an auto quick service garage in Jeddah City. An auto repair garage in Saudi Arabia is turning to an untapped source for new car mechanics: Saudi women who weren’t even allowed to drive just four years ago.

At the Petromin Express garage in Jeddah, new female recruits check the oil and change tyres alongside their male counterparts on the Red Sea coast, part of a nationwide push to bring more women into the workforce. Yet the women trainees have, perhaps inevitably, encountered a host of barriers as they enter a male-dominated field the world over - and even more so in the kingdom. Several told AFP their first months on the job had brought flashes of self-doubt, scepticism from relatives and outright hostility from some customers.

One “old man” who came by the garage immediately ordered all the women out, saying he didn’t want them to go near his car, recalled Ghada Ahmad. “At the beginning, it’s normal not to trust us because I’m a woman, and he doesn’t trust my work as a woman,” said Ghada, wearing grease-streaked white gloves and a long blue overcoat. “It’s something new for them... After years of only seeing men, now comes a woman.”

As she struggled to learn the basics, Ghada had moments when she wondered if such men might have a point. “I used to go home with swollen hands, crying and saying: ‘This job is not for me. It looks like their words were correct,’” she recalled. But as her skills improved, so did her confidence — aided by other more encouraging customers. “One man came and said: ‘I’m very proud of you. You are honouring us. You are a crown on our heads.’” Above, Ghada Ahmed checks tire air at an auto quick service garage in Jeddah City.

Expanding women’s rights as central to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision 2030 plan, intended to diversify the oil-dependent economy while softening Saudi Arabia’s image. The highest-profile change came in 2018 when Crown Prince Mohammad oversaw the end of a decades-old ban on women driving.

The country has also eased so-called “guardianship” rules that give men arbitrary authority over female relatives. However women mechanics in Jeddah told AFP they could never have started working without their husbands’ consent.

Ola Flimban, a 44-year-old mother of four, first heard about the jobs from a social media post and immediately asked her husband, Rafat Flimban, if she could apply. Rafat agreed and helped his wife prepare for the interview by teaching her the names of spare parts. Above, Ola Flimban works on a car at an auto quick service garage in Jeddah City.

“Now she has experience in different car types, changing oil, and checking cars. She’s even checking my car,” he said. The support at home has made it easier for Ola to deal with wary customers at the garage. “They are surprised that girls work in this field and ask us to explain how we fell in love with this field,” she said.

20-year-old Michael drove up in his silver sedan for an oil change as she spoke. He admitted being “shocked” that a woman would carry out the task, but he soon came around. “If they are here, it must mean they are trained,” he said, “and maybe they understand my car better than me.”

Petromin vice-president Tariq Javed said his company was “confident that this initiative will encourage more women to join the automotive industry in all stages”. The company says its training covers “all express services, including oil, battery, tyres, A/C, and other automotive requirements”.

Perhaps the biggest winners from the firm’s initiative are the city’s women drivers.“We make girls feel relaxed when we operate on their cars,” said 30-year-old Angham Jeddawi, who has been at the garage for six months. “Some girls feel shy when dealing with men. They don’t know how to talk with them, and they don’t know what will be done with the car. But with us, they are free to talk a lot.” For Jeddawi, the job has fulfilled a lifelong goal she once thought impossible. Above, Angham Jeddawi works on a car.

Ghada Ahmed talking to a costumer at an auto quick service garage in Jeddah City.

Ghada Ahmed preparing a cleaning machine at an auto quick service garage in Jeddah City.