Saudi Arabia-Women's Progress & Challenges on Rights, Laws, Reforms, Justice, Empowerment

Saudi women have many reasons to celebrate National Day this year with great pride and optimism. There are many women who have shared in the progress and development of this country and have served as positive role models for many others in our society. Their successes have encouraged other women to exercise their legal rights and use every opportunity to excel and develop.

Young women today are more aware of their strengths and capabilities. They are no longer intimidated by the male-dominated culture that continues to marginalize their role in society. The status of women in the Kingdom is slowly changing, and women remain determined to assert their position as contributing citizens in all fields: Socially, economically and politically.

The reforms initiated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah show his great support and respect for women. The king has vowed to remove all obstacles that stand in the way of empowering women and has called for the integration of women into the work force. Reforms have allowed women to take decision-making positions in the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Saudi Council of Engineers, Saudi Management Society and the Saudi Lawyers Association. Moreover, women are now successfully holding senior positions as deans of colleges and universities. They have also shown great competence in leadership positions as heads of hospital departments, CEOs of banks and private companies and have exhibited great talent as IT experts and graphic designers.

Almost all government offices, ministries and municipalities have appointed women who have proven to be competent and capable professionals in their different fields. Saudi women artists, photographers, filmmakers, journalists, writers and fashion designers have produced valuable and distinctive work that has received accolades at home and abroad.

Saudi businesswomen have taken every opportunity to make a difference in the domestic economy and to demonstrate to the world their acumen and their enthusiastic acceptance of the challenges associated with their rapidly changing societal roles. The government has provided more opportunities for women in the work force. The latest statistics show that 54 percent of university graduates are women. Employers seek these well-qualified women due to their determination and professionalism.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has implemented new laws to protect women in the work force. Under the new labor law, pregnant women are protected from termination due to maternity leave issues. Women get 10 weeks of maternity pay — four weeks before birth and six weeks after — in addition to the one-month paid vacation allowed to all workers. Employers have to pay full pregnancy-related health expenses. Moreover, companies that employ more than 50 women are now required to have onsite nurseries, and women get an hour during the shift to breastfeed. The laws also stipulate that in the event of employers failing to follow the new regulations, labor office branches will follow up on complaints in order to ensure compliance.

Saudi women are slowly learning to take advantage of the newly introduced laws, as well as existing ones. They also continue to demand the elimination of discriminatory laws governing legal guardianship, exclusion from the Shoura Council and standing for municipal elections. Women attorneys still await the right to practice law. Women hope to achieve better lives and brighter futures for their sons and daughters. They continue to challenge policies that discriminate against them and elements that resist modernization and constructive change.

The Kingdom has two recognized human rights groups, the nongovernmental National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) and the Human Rights Commission. The latter operates under the direct supervision of King Abdullah. It was established in 2005 to protect human rights and create awareness of the Islamic law. These two bodies play an important role in protecting the human rights of citizens, which include protection against abuse and discrimination against women.

Lawyers and active women members of the NSHR hope to establish a codified system for reprimanding sentences as a reference for judges who presently have no guidelines to ensure uniform application of the Shariah law. Suhaila Hammad, senior member of the NSHR, has been very critical of controversial interpretations of Islamic law by some of the judges. She has criticized prison conditions, exaggerated jail time and flogging sentences against women. Other women human rights advocates are also concerned and are voicing their opinions against the increase in domestic violence and are pushing for family courts to better protect the rights of women and children and better enforce laws relating to Saudi families.

The realization of human rights is the key to overcome our social, economic and political problems. There can be no human rights without women’s rights. Empowering women, who comprise half our population, is the key to economic stability and progress. We need to embrace new ideas and innovations that include women as equal partners in the nation’s progress and development.

There are many governmental reforms that make us optimistic about the future of women in Saudi Arabia. There are also government efforts to reach a national consensus on social and economic policies in order to achieve social cohesion and economic stability.

Our society may be witnessing a process of constructive change; however, the implementation of reforms needs to be accelerated and strengthened in order to help women enjoy equal justice, dignity and opportunity. Society needs to continue up the path toward the elimination of policies that discriminate against women and the promotion of opportunities to be greater contributors to this land.

Strengthening the position of women in Saudi Arabia also helps erase Western misconceptions about the distorted image of women in Islam. Saudi women have been working hard to earn the respect of their society and the recognition of the global community.

Indeed, they have mastered competency in many fields. Equally important are the contributions of the many Saudi men who have joined the fight against discrimination of women and have had the wisdom to look beyond the current state of affairs to a future full of exciting possibilities.

We have a lot to show today as we celebrate the National Day, and we also have a renewed challenge to ensure that National Day 2007 sees even greater strides toward the bright future that awaits those with the vision — and the courage — to help create it.