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I don't think the recent liberalisation is about buying people off. I think it's a recognition that if they're going to establish anything like a real economy, women are going to play a huge part in that because so much of their human capital is locked away in the female population. They’re dramatically more entrepreneurial and better educated than Saudi men.

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> they’re dramatically more entrepreneurial and better educated than Saudi men.

How can that be if they've been locked up into their homes until recently? (To my limited understanding of KSA)

A bit over half of University graduate students within KSA are women and they generally achieve higher grades than male students. There are also tens of thousands of female students studying abroad. Their education is largely segregated within the kingdom, but they also have at least one all-female university. However less than 10% of the work force is female, so there's a huge reserve of expensively trained unused female talent.

> generally achieve higher grades than male students

Because they follow rules obediently. That same tendency nets them lower salaries, with a conciliatory style during negotiations.

Benefits the economy even more.

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