In mid-2018, just a year following the ascension of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to his role, Saudi Arabia took a major step in boosting the inclusion of women in its legal and justice sector, granting them notarization licenses with all the powers required. Then, in 2019, the country opened up more key vacancies for women, putting out a call for Grade-7 Notary Public roles. This week, the Kingdom has announced that female notaries are now carrying out their duties to the fullest, leading to a staggering 1,043 percent increase from 2019 when many took up their duties.
3 Million People in Saudi Arabia Are Vaccinated: https://t.co/o3Gru1Rg85 pic.twitter.com/24gMXMvo9h
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) March 23, 2021
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), only about 1,466 operations were implemented by female notaries, while just a year later, that number jumped to 16,753 operations in 2020. The increase in their participation has been attributed to the various efforts and reforms being made by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Justice towards empowering women across the board. Following its comprehensive approach, there has been a noticeable surge in the number of women in the legal and justice sector, particularly at the ministry, which continues to work on empowering women and integrating them into the justice system as part of a larger nation-wide effort.
Meet Reema Al-Asmari, The @BNPParibasCIB Head of Territory for Saudi Arabia: https://t.co/JU90XxlKI9 pic.twitter.com/8S7Rxmy6cw
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) March 23, 2021
Indeed, the Saudi Arabian government has been working over the years 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. As a result of these efforts, Saudi Arabia witnessed a 240 percent increase in the number of licensed women lawyers in 2019, the appointment of Shuruq Al-Jadaan in 2020 as Deputy Director of Alimony Affairs, making her the first woman to take up a leading position at the Ministry of Justice, and that same year almost 50 percent of applicants for conciliator positions at the Reconciliation Center were women.
