Shuruq Al-Jadaan Becomes First Saudi Arabian Woman Appointed In A Leading Position At Ministry Of Justice

As Saudi Arabia continues its efforts to integrate women at every level of society and across industries, its various governmental arms have been working diligently to open up positions for women across the board, and one ministry that has stood out in its efforts has been the Ministry of Justice. This week, the Ministry has made its largest effort to date, appointing Shuruq Al-Jadaan as the new deputy director of alimony affairs, making her the first woman to take up a leading position at the Ministry of Justice.

Al-Jadaan’s appointment marks another milestone for women in Saudi Arabia, and demonstrates the country’s commitment towards creating a more balanced society and diverse economy with women spearheading the transformation. As reported by Saudi Gazette, Al-Jadaan thanked the Saudi Justice Minister and Chairman of Alimony Fund Waleed Al-Sama’ani, and expressed her appreciation “for the trust and efforts by the ministry to empower women at various judicial sectors.”

Women in Saudi Arabia are applying to more and more jobs everyday.https://t.co/wCliRQbl3Y

— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) February 5, 2020

The alimony fund is one of many initiatives launched by Saudi Arabia in the last couple of years in support of women. In 2018, it was announced that Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Justice would launch the alimony fund, said to be modelled on United Kingdom's child maintenance service, in order to empower mothers and provide them and their children with financial stability and support. The same year, Saudi Arabia announced that divorced men who avoid paying alimony and do not follow a court sentence risk facing up to 7 years in prison.

Aside from the various initiatives and laws meant to improve the lives of women in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Justice has also been working on opening up various positions for women, from Grade-7 Notary Public positions made available last year, to conciliator positions at the Reconciliation Center announced this month.