Following the last couple of years of landmark decrees aimed at supporting Saudi women’s increased participation in the Kingdom’s economic development, there has been a recent surge in the number women applying for jobs across various industries, and this has been particularly true within Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Justice.
Last year, the Saudi Ministry of Justice announced plans to hire hundreds of Saudi women in the first stage of its female employment program following a decision by Minister Walid Al-Samaani to find vacancies for Saudi women in four sectors, and it has also rolled out a program aiming to raise women's legal awareness through fairs in various regions, media campaigns, and partnerships with relevant government agencies.
This year, the results are in: There are now 220 women working at the Ministry, according to Saudi Press Agency, and those employees work in several departments such as social and legal research, administration, and software development. In addition, almost 60 women have received licenses to undertake attestation services, issuance, cancellation of power of attorney, and other notary services, with the Ministry explaining that “[p]rivate notaries can issue and terminate powers of attorney (PoAs), and notarize corporate charters and property conveyances.”
Today, Saudi Arabia has witnessed a 240 percent increase in the number of licensed women lawyers, with 418 women currently working as lawyers, in addition to 3,140 trainee lawyers. The efforts of its Ministry of Justice in empowering women and integrating them into the justice system is part of a larger nation-wide effort by the Kingdom. The Saudi Arabian government has been working diligently on creating more job opportunities for women, an objective that falls under its Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the Kingdom’s oil-dependent economy.
