JEDDAH, 23 February 2005 — A new strategy drafted by the consultative Shoura Council gives top priority to women’s employment. It calls for restructuring women’s higher education in line with job market requirements.

The strategy, prepared by a team of experts calls for the expansion of education, training and jobs for Saudi women “in a way that suits her nature and does not violate Shariah.”

It calls for the expansion of women’s technical education and vocational training and facilitating women’s jobs in all areas. It also urges the Manpower Development Fund to include women in its training and employment programs.

The strategy insists that jobs in government departments dealing with women be restricted to Saudi women. Public bodies and agencies extending services related to women should also have women’s units.

The strategy emphasizes that job opportunities for women in the private sector must be increased. Women must be provided with soft loans to carry out viable investment projects and childcare services in work places.

Jobs in shops selling women’s items must be restricted to Saudi women and the private sector must provide women with secure transport services, the strategy says. Cottage industries will be promoted to help women work from their homes.

Last year, the Cabinet adopted a nine-point program to increase women’s employment in the country. It instructed government departments to license women’s businesses and open women’s sections within a year.

According to the new labor law, employers are obliged to give women maternity leave of 70 days at full pay if they have been working with the employer for at least three years. Companies are also obliged to give maternity leave at half pay to women employed for less than a year.

Article 185 states that the employer has no right to terminate the services of women if they are absent from work for up to six months due to surgery or medical problems related to maternity. Should the employer insist on terminating the employee’s service during that period, the employer will be fined and ordered to reinstate the employee or compensate her for the months she was absent from work.

Article 180 gives women the right to request maternity leave four weeks before their expected delivery date and six additional weeks following the birth on condition that they submit a report from a physician or medical institution recognized by the employer.