With steady steps, Saudi women are advancing towards driving the wheel of national development. They are fully endowed with their rights to achieve sustainable growth in the journey of prosperity. They are also inspired by the statement of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: “Saudi women have become today a partner to Saudi men in the nation’s development without discrimination.”
KSA has witnessed a qualitative leap in initiatives supporting and empowering Saudi women during 2023 and before, backed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, within the framework of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
In recent years, the Kingdom has launched many key initiatives to empower women, targeting gender equality and enhancing women’s roles in society, the business sector, and labor market fields. These initiatives bore fruit in 2023 and achieved record figures in the percentage of Saudi women’s social, and political participation.
Moreover, these initiatives contribute to empowering female leadership in decision-making positions. They also enhance women’s leadership roles and achieve gender balance in work systems.
Saudi Women 2023 Initiatives in Labor Market
Similarly, The Kingdom has dedicated several initiatives to support Saudi women in various fields of the labor market.
This includes initiative to Empower Women in Civil Service and also to enhance their leadership role. This also contributes to increasing women’s participation rate in all government sectors at all job levels.
Training and Leadership Guidance Initiative
Equally, this initiative aims to increase the proportion of women in middle and upper leadership positions. It aims to meet the goals of increasing Saudi women’s 2023 participation, targeting training 1,700 female leaders.
Supporting Inclusivity and Diversity in the Labor Market
Accountably, this initiative seeks to create a work environment that values differences among employees. It also aims to reduce disparities in work conditions and opportunities through various incentives. This enhances the positive image of women’s work and supports the creation of an inclusive environment that facilitates women’s in the labor market.
Initiatives to Encourage Remote Work
Consequently, this aims to access human resources among job seekers and freelancers. This includes business owners and others across the Kingdom. Besides, it aims to increase employment rates, especially for Saudi women and people with disabilities.
Childcare Services for Working Women (Qurra)
In addition, this aims to create a communication bridge between hospitality centers to offer services to parents looking for childcare centers. It also enables working women to join and continue in the labor market. “Qurra” works on organizing and developing this sector through services for childcare centers and kindergartens.
Support and Facilitate Women’s Transportation (Wusool)
Furthermore, this aims to enable Saudi women to work in the private sector and increase their participation in the labor market. This initiative helps women employees overcome transportation difficulties to and from the workplace.
Employment Support Program to Enhance Saudi Women Skills
Comparatively, this fund provides support for quality employment. It started with a support rate of 30% of the employee’s salary for the first year. It then decreased to 20% for the second year, and then to 10% for the third year. The minimum wage eligible for support is SAR 4,000, and the maximum is SAR 15,000. The support is also 70% for employment and 30% for training, with additional support for specific cases.
Social Support Initiatives for Women Include:
Employment Support Program for Skill Enhancement
The fund provides support for targeted quality employment, starting with a 30% subsidy of the employee’s salary in the first year, according to specified regulations. This rate decreases to 20% in the second year, and then to 10% in the third year. The minimum salary eligible for support is 4,000 Riyals, and the maximum is 15,000 Riyals. The support consists of 70% for employment and 30% for training. Additional support is granted in cases of employing females, persons with disabilities, employment in villages and small towns, and in small and medium enterprises, as well as in critical professions.
Social Support Initiatives for Women Several initiatives exist to support Saudi women on a social level, including:
The Social Development Bank’s Support Program (Tala Al-Mar’a)
Launched by the Social Development Bank in partnership with the Ministry of Human Resources, this initiative supports women’s projects and entrepreneurship, promoting developmental projects and ideas serving women in various fields across the Kingdom.
Additionally, it offers financial services like funding for freelance projects and small businesses, non-financial services such as training and consulting are provided. According to the agreement, a number of trainees will be qualified.
Support for Widows and Divorcees
The Association for the Support and Care of Widows and Divorcees in the Mecca region was established to provide services for this segment of society, addressing their important needs. The association offers urgent support, including psychological, legal, and social consulting, housing, and other necessities. Beyond consulting, the association aims to empower them in society by training them in job market skills and seeking their employment in partnership with related sectors. This document aims to transform this ambition into an institutional action, making it a sustainable project, God willing, in its societal impact, as well as its financial and human resources.
These initiatives are part of a whole that aims to support and empower women in society and their leading role in driving development, under the leadership of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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