obesity is a problem among middle and upper class saudis who have domestic servants to do traditional work but, until 2018, were forbidden to drive and so are limited in their ability to leave their home. as of april 2014, saudi authorities in the education ministry have been asked by the shoura council to consider lifting a state school ban on sports for girls with the proviso that any sports conform to sharia rules on dress and gender segregation, according to the official spa news agency.