Vision 2030 putting women in spotlight 
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is a national development plan that is bringing serious changes to the Kingdom and the Middle East. Its aim is to put the Saudi economy ahead of the technological curve that is emerging in the 21st century.
The restructuring will lead to tremendous opportunities for people living in Saudi Arabia or dealing with it. More than just the provision of a strong economic and social environment, it is the creation of a stable, steadily growing and prosperous future for the Kingdom.
While Vision 2030 has been widely applauded around the world, the academic focus should be directed to how it will empower Saudi women, change their status for the better and benefit the Kingdom as a whole.
The statesmanship of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is the reason for the creation of Vision 2030. The Crown Prince must always be thought of as a leader of high courage, a man of unswerving integrity, a tenacious fighter for the interests of all Arabs and Muslims, and a straightforward person who does not sacrifice his noble principles for any reason.
The contributions of Saudi women to the economy are increasing a great deal. More women are starting their own businesses. More women are working as entrepreneurs. More women are enhancing their business experiences as a result of Vision 2030. The initial developments in Saudi Arabia have been reflecting positively on the Gulf and Middle East regions. For example, there was the royal decree changing driving regulations and it is enforced fairly among men and women. Then there was the issuance of laws preventing harassment in 2018.
Saudi women are growing in their participation in the economy and now represent 34.5 percent of the workforce, according to the World Bank. Two years ago the figure was just 20 percent.
“The employment rate of women has grown from 68 percent to 76 percent over those two years despite new entrants,” a study by the Washington-based Brookings Institution said.
“Maybe even more importantly, this increase in employment was not driven by the government hiring Saudi women. It was genuine private-sector-led employment growth.
“Public sector employment of Saudi women increased by 5 percent from the start of 2019 to the end of 2020. In the private sector, female employment in the accommodation and food industries grew by 40 percent. The construction and manufacturing sectors saw more modest growth of 9 percent and 14 percent, respectively. The wholesale and retail trade hired 5 percent more women.”
The World Bank Women Business and Law report said: “Saudi women are a vital element for the success of Vision 2030. Several reforms have been implemented to incentivize and protect women to enter the labor market.
“These have included equalized women’s right to choose a place of residency. They prohibited discrimination based on gender in employment, the dismissal of pregnant women and discrimination based on gender in accessing to credit. The decrees introduced pension equality by equalizing the retirement ages for men and women and mandating pension care credits for maternity leave. These reforms are already benefiting 6 million Saudi women over the age of 21 and will affect women for many generations to come. Women’s employment in traditionally male dominated sectors also increased. In 2020 alone, 7,782 women entered the construction sector — where women’s employment was previously prohibited by law — and 6,662 took on new roles in manufacturing.”
The research institute Endeavor Insight, which specializes in the study of high-tech industries, said: “Saudi Arabia has a higher percentage of women working in tech startup companies than Europe. Findings from the study also show that Saudi Arabia has a higher percentage of women in tech startups, than men. In the third quarter of 2021, the participation of women in Saudi Arabia in the tech sector was reported at 28 percent, 10 percent above the European average rate of 17.5 percent, during the same period.”
A recent story by Foreign Affairs magazine, titled “Working Women Are Changing Saudi Arabia,” said that the Kingdom’s reforms had “made the economy more productive, families more resilient and Saudis more tolerant.”
It also paid tribute to Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Saudi female astronaut to visit the International Space Station.
In conclusion, Saudi National Day should be a time for everyone living in the Kingdom to be proud of Saudi women and the great success of Vision 2030. Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has given the view to the whole world of how a society and economy can function and how the future of mankind can be secured for the welfare of humanity.
• Faisal Al-Shammeri is a political analyst. X: @Mr_Alshammeri
