What is the ruling on a woman working who is compelled to spend two nights away from her home, at a distance of 85 km, and travels without a mahram with other women? And is the travel distance calculated from the home or from outside the urban area, especially in contiguous cities?

A woman's work specializing in women and free from mixing with men is permissible. However, it is not permissible for her to travel for it without a mahram, nor is it permissible for her to spend the night outside her home if it leads to mafsadah (corruption/harm). The distance of travel is calculated from the last inhabited area of the town from which the traveler embarks on the journey to the intended destination. Villages that are continuously inhabited are considered as one town, so the distance is only calculated from the last inhabited area that is not connected to another inhabited area.