After Prince Sattam Bin Khalid Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud, took to Twitter to post an image of a female Saudi royal guard, it went viral on Saudi social media and sparked conversations regarding gender equality.
Since it is rare to see women in such positions, the image of the female Saudi royal guard performing her duties alongside her male colleague portrays an image of pride and a powerful message of equality. Prince Sattam’s tweet was then reshared by Saudi’s Director of Government Affairs, External Relations and Protocol at Princess Jawahar Al Saud’s Private Office, Moaid Mahjoub, and he captioned his post, “Historical moment at Saudi Royal Guard Regiment. Thanks to the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.”
#AboutHer: Saudi female royal guard sends Twitter into meltdown, and we’re here for it. pic.twitter.com/v7Ih47Kpt2
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) June 26, 2020
Though we have no name or knowledge of who the woman is, the powerful and historical picture went viral with Saudis who praised the female guard and shared their joy and pride over social norms now changing and the encouragement of gender equality within the kingdom.
Last year in October, the Saudi government allowed women to join the Kingdom’s military land forces and to be appointed in high-ranking positions in the army as corporals and sergeants within Saudi forces including the Saudi Arabian Navy, Strategic Missile Forces and Armed Forces Medical Services.
Saudi Arabia has made conscious and welcome changes to improve gender equality; the historical appointments of women within once male-dominated roles brings Vision 2030 closer to the country’s goals for the next decade. These moves give women a voice and share an empowering message for the future generations of Saudi women.
