A report by the Saudi Arabian Family Affairs Council has found that the number of women working in the country’s Public Service has jumped 25 times in the past 10 years.
The report said women were joining all sectors of the civilian Public Service and some sector of the military.
The report, The Role of Saudi Women in Society and in Various Business and Government Sectors, showed that the number of women workers in the security and military sectors reached 9,408 at the end of 2019, while 500 military jobs for women were currently being processed at the Directorate of Public Security.
The number of female employees in the civilian Public Service shot up from 21,000 in 2010 to more than 484,000 in 2019 — 40 per cent of all total employees.
“Although the presence of women in the military and security sectors has been restricted mainly to jobs in administrative or technical support sections, the State has realised the importance of women’s contribution in this aspect,” the Report said.
“This is in line with the preparation for creating the appropriate environment to achieve the initiatives and programs of Vision 2030,” it said.
The Report said that Saudi women had reached important decision-making positions in Government institutions and universities and occupied leadership and supervisory roles in a number of Ministries and Departments.
Riyadh, 23 February 2021
