Following the past three years of landmark decrees aimed at supporting Saudi Arabian women’s participation in the Kingdom’s economic development and diversification, there has been a significant surge in the number women across various industries, a phenomenon that is most evident in the country’s public sectors. Today, Saudi Arabian women are employed in all public sectors, from the military to passport control to the traffic department.
The presence of woman across the board has been in large part attributed to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims amongst other things to increase the participation of women in the country’s workforce. Indeed, based on key objectives laid out in its Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has been working on increasing women’s participation in the workforce from 22 percent to 30 percent by 2030, particularly through strategic goals that support their economic empowerment and self-reliance.
That is why over the last few years, a number of sectors and industries that were formerly dominated by men opened up to the Kingdom’s women, providing them with ample job opportunities, leading to impressive results. In 2018, for instance, it was announced that the number of Saudi women who obtained a license to practice law increased by a staggering 300 percent over the past few years and there was a 60 percent increase in the number of women who entered the legal profession since 2016.
Last year, the recruitment department at the Defense Ministry initiated the admission of women, allowing them to apply for various positions including corporals and sergeants. This weekend, which marks less than a year after the landmark this landmark move, the Director of Government Affairs, External Relations and Protocol at Princess Jawahar Al Saud’s Private Office, Moaid Mahjoub, shared a picture on Twitter of a female member of the Saudi Royal Guard performing her duties.
#AboutHer: Saudi female royal guard sends Twitter into meltdown, and we’re here for it.pic.twitter.com/v7Ih47Kpt2
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) June 26, 2020
In 2019, it was reported that 760 Saudi Arabian female passport officials were being recruited and trained at the training center of the Directorate General of Passports (Jawazat) “to perform various tasks so as to serve the visitors and pilgrims into the Kingdom. A few days later, the sector also announced that up to 70 percent of passport control officers based at key Saudi airports were projected to women by 2020.
Other key sectors that have seen a surge in female participation include general security, the National Center for Unified Operations, sports federations, and more.
