Saudi women gain ground in top administrative spots

Cairo: Saudi women constitute more than 43% of the overall holders of middle and top administrative posts, according to a recent report, amid a vigorous drive to empower women in the kingdom.

The report, compiled by the National Observatory for Women at the Riyadh-based King Saud University, found that the commercial registers owned by Saudi women account for 45% of the total number in the kingdom.

Moreover, Saudi women’s engagement in the telecommunications and information technology sector rose from 7% in 2018 to 35% last year, findings by the report showed, according to Saudi newspaper Okaz.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has ramped up efforts to empower women in different walks of life and appoint them in leading positions as part of massive changes in the kingdom. Two women ambassadors were among 11 Saudi envoys, who took the oath of office before King Salman bin Abdulaziz last year. The appointments took to six the number of Saudi women ambassadors.

In 2019, Princess Reema bint Bandar was appointed as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, becoming the first woman in the kingdom’s history to serve as ambassador. In 2018, the kingdom allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on women driving.

In another move enhancing women’s empowerment, Saudi Arabia allowed women to travel without a male guard’s approval and to apply for a passport, easing long-time controls on them.