Saudi women are an important part of the sustainable development of the Kingdom, and their empowerment is vital in Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Plan. Recent appointments of Saudi women in leadership positions, the participation of women in municipal elections and the Shoura council are instances of government support for women.
Recent statistics reveal that Saudi women own more than SR45 billion ($12 billion) in Saudi banks and SR130 billion ($35 billion) in real estate investments, and are involved in many charities and humanitarian organizations.
Workplaces in the kingdom have also seen a rise in female employees and 86 percent of women occupy positions in the governmental educational sector. 40 percent of women work in the medical field.
Furthermore, Saudi women are owners to around 25,000 small and medium-scale establishments and companies.
Holding 18 seats in the municipal council, 30 seats in the Shoura council - which is 20 percent of the council, these women have 50,000 commercial registrations in various provinces.
Some 35,000 Saudi women are studying abroad in 60 countries on government scholarships fulfilling the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 based on the role of women and youth.
Saudi women in 2015 constituted 51.8 percent of university students in the Kingdom. A key priority of the kingdom is employing women and increasing their proportion of the labor market from the current 22 percent to 30 percent.
