- Arabnews.
VIVA – Over the past decade, women in Saudi Arabia have been allowed to access higher education and work in any desired field for the first time even if those jobs are male-dominated traditionally, and take on leadership roles.
Since the implementation of reforms by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi women have regained their rightful place in society as a workforce, testing their skills in almost every job sector.
Last month, the Saudi Space Commission, or SSC, announced that two female astronauts will be part of the Axiom-2 private mission to the International Space Station, scheduled to launch next year on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Saudi female astronauts, will be part of a crew of four that to spend 10 days on the ISS, where they will conduct 14 biomedical and physics experiments. Meanwhile, Mariam Fardous and Ali Al-Ghamdi will also train as backups for the mission and are currently part of the Saudi Human Spaceflight Program.
Moreover, a month before the SSC announcement, Saudi transportation authorities said that 34 female machinists had joined the ninth recruitment batch, which runs high-speed trains between Makkah and Madinah via Jeddah in the Kingdom's western region.
The Kingdom has also launched several programs to help develop human resources in areas such as energy, engineering, technology, construction, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, research, and innovation to build a skilled domestic workforce.
Seorang wanita Arab Saudi bekerja sebagai kondektur kereta api.
- Arabnews.
Women are now more engaged than ever in the public and private sectors and civil society as these reforms provide incentives for women to enter the labor market, protecting their rights in sectors traditionally dominated by men.
Even Saudi Arabian women are training to become astronauts, engineers, architects, mechanics, soldiers, and cybersecurity professionals. Many others are entering the creative industries, sharing the Kingdom's heritage and culture with the outside world.
Education has been a key pillar of this leveling of the playing field. Saudi Arabia has achieved near-universal literacy, with 95 percent of adults and 99 percent of young people now able to read and write.
The Kingdom has seen a drastic increase in the number of young people enrolling in universities and taking part in world-class study programs. Another great fact, Saudi Arabia spends a large portion of its GDP, more than the global average on education.
Thousands of students have received scholarships through the Ministry of Education and other programs to study at some of the world's top universities, and come away with the skills and knowledge to help build a modern, dynamic, and diversified economy.
Deputy Minister for Scholarships at the Royal Ministry of Education, Amal Sughair, said that about 40 percent of this year's group of scholarship recipients are women. The ministry also selected the top 200 universities for various fields.
"About 40 percent of this year's group of scholarship recipients are women. This is the largest number since the inception of this scholarship program. The ministry selected 200 of the best universities around the world for various fields that can meet the needs of the Saudi labor market, offering more opportunities for everyone to choose." Shugair stated.
"We are selective as the market needs demand, so we allow students to enroll in master's and Ph.D. programs, but only in certain fields and majors based on recommendations from the Kingdom's Research and Innovation Development Authority," he added.
