More great news for women in Saudi Arabia! The Kingdom announced this week that its Ministry of National Guard now has several vacancies for Saudi women residing in Medina or Taif. According to Saudi Gazette, the ministry is calling on Saudi women between the ages of 17 and 35 who hold university degrees or high school diplomas to apply for the jobs of corporal, sergeant, and private in the force. All applications must be done through the ministry's website.
As explained by the news site, applicants need to be Saudi nationals with a good medical record and clean police record. They should be between 160 and 195 centimeters tall, should not be a government employee or married to a non-Saudi man, and must be residents of Medina or Taif. According to an official statement released by the ministry, all applicants must pass admission tests and personal interviews in order to become part of the force, and any application that fails to meet the conditions will be rejected. In addition, preference will be given to Saudi women with past experience in the security field.
Over the last few years, Saudi Arabian women have been entering male-dominated fields, becoming security inspection officers along the country’s borders, working as air traffic controllers at an air traffic control center in Jeddah, training as firefighters by Saudi Aramco, and serving as soldiers in the Saudi Arabian army (in non-combat roles).
These advances made by women in Saudi Arabia are part of the country’s larger Vision 2030 national strategy, which has many objectives, one of them being to open thousands of opportunities for women across the Kingdom. Vision 2030, which is being spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, ultimately aims to diversify the country’s economy away from its current dependency on oil.
