This week King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced that women will be able to vote and nominate themselves in the municipal elections and be represented in the national Shura Council, a consultative advisory forum. But before we break out in celebratory ululations proclaiming victory, let us take stock of some grim realities.

In her Global Post blog, IDS Fellow Mariz Tadros highlights how these progressive measures for women in Saudi Arabia are not as simple as they seem: Too close to call on Women's Progress in Saudi Arabia

Mariz Tadros is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies. She edited the IDS Bulletin 'Quotas: Add women and stir' in 2010.

Photo: Panos / Lana Slezic.