Women need to be fully integrated into workforce
Published: Jun 15, 2010 00:41 Updated: Jun 16, 2010 14:41
Women's rights in Saudi Arabia have always been a topic of international “curiosity,” a word that may not be the correct one but it’s the only one that comes to mind.
Focus has been on women’s right to drive, something that one could argue is trivial in relation to the numerous other rights women in the Kingdom have still not been afforded. Being the only country in the world that has yet to lift a ban on female drivers, Saudi Arabia has definitely opened the door to global scrutiny. If only our global audience knew of the other rights — or lack of — that women in the Kingdom have overcome.
Saudi Arabia has been quickly changing over the past few years. The main catalyst for this transformation, or rather reformation, has been none other than Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. Educational and social reforms have been on the top of King Abdullah’s agenda. His relatively liberal stance on women’s rights has made him a pioneer in the Kingdom’s conservative history.
It was only last year that he appointed a woman as deputy minister of education — the highest public office to be held by a woman in the Kingdom so far. In that same year, Lama Al-Sulaiman was the first woman to win a seat at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and became the vice chairman of the country’s most prestigious business organization.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry also appointed four other women board members to JCCI across the Kingdom. With help from King Abdullah and the nation’s more progressive mentality, women in the Kingdom are gradually taking their deserved roles in society.
The Labor Ministry is one such body in which Saudi women, or Saudi businesswomen in particular, are making great strides. Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal modified Article 160 of the Labor Law in 2008. The original law stipulated that it was prohibited for men and women to interact even in a professional, business environment. This was revised, as was the law requiring women to gain the approval of their male guardians to accept or quit jobs. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry followed suit and in that same year reversed a ban on women staying in hotels alone. What most people fail to realize is that the idea of women in the workforce is still fairly new. Men have placed specific Labor Laws to protect their mothers, sisters, daughters and wives. These laws, such as 10-week maternity leave with full medical cover, are very progressive even according to Western standards.
Nevertheless, why is that women in the Kingdom still constitute less than 15 percent of the national workforce? Why hasn’t the Kingdom tapped into this enormous source of potential labor?
Many people incorrectly believe that legislative, social, educational and occupational constraints prevent women from fully participating in the Saudi labor market.
According to a new report by Booz & Company, “Sweeping reforms will have to be introduced to the national educational system as a major step in preparing Saudi women for competitive jobs. Labor market reforms and labor law reforms should be implemented; with the creation of a supportive environment encouraging the design of programs that emphasize the positive role of Saudi women in the labor market and introduce women to senior labor market positions.”
But the Kingdom already has many gender-specific laws in place. Could these laws actually be discouraging employers from hiring women, rather than creating initiatives for their employment? According to statistics, this might actually be the cause. Despite the
rate of women’s participation in the Saudi national labor force nearly tripling since 1992, (from 5.4 percent to 14.4 percent), Saudi Arabia still has one of the lowest levels of national women participation in the region’s labor force. In addition, the 26.9 percent unemployment rate for Saudi women in the labor force in 2008 was nearly four times higher than that for Saudi men.
Although over 90 percent of the Saudi women actively participating
in the workforce hold secondary school qualifications or university degrees, this does not guarantee employment. According to statistics from 2007, 78.3 percent of unemployed women hold university degrees and over 1,000 have doctorate degrees. By contrast, 76 percent of unemployed men only have secondary education. “A lot of companies do not want to hire women,” said Tala Al-Hejailan, a law consultant in Riyadh, “A woman employee
means a lot of extra expenses, such as childcare, additional breaks for nursing and tons of other costly benefits.”
Unlike men employees, women are entitled to end of service benefits when they leave work due to marriage or childbirth.
Esra Al-Safadi, a consultant at a Riyadh technology firm, said companies in the Kingdom are very supportive in giving women their rights. So does that mean women
employees are more of a risk? Do employers hesitate to hire women because they might leave to get married after the company has invested time and money in her?
“It’s not really a concern,” said Fawzy Mosly, administration director at the Saudi Research and Publishing Company. “Women are not thought of in terms of their rights and benefits, but rather in terms of their qualities as employees,” he said, adding that he finds
Saudi workingwomen as being well educated and professional.
However, women are not getting the crucial experience they would garner by working inside a professional environment and are circumventing certain obstacles in the workforce by setting up their own businesses. The concern here is that many will encounter different hurdles, such as sponsorship and power of attorney issues, as well as segregated interactions during dealings
with banks and for governmental licenses. A solution to this issue is clear, but not easy: A joint-effort between businesses and the government is required. Women need to promote the sense of dedication and professionalism that they possess, and gain a reputation for utilizing their benefits in a nonexploitive manner, while the government and private sector needs to help facilitate their full integration into the workforce.
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CYNTHIA
Sep 27, 2010 19:45
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