Throughout the past 35 years Arab News has covered issues such as the guardianship system, the ban on driving, domestic abuse and others.

In 1975, women’s issues were absent from the newspaper’s pages as they were considered a taboo in an ultraconservative society. Moreover, Saudi women did not have a role in shaping the Kingdom’s development at the time.

Arab News was keen on covering political and developmental issues such as the Palestinian conflict and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meetings. Any mention of women in the newspaper used to be drawn mainly from the political domain, with names such as Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi featuring frequently.

In 1975, Arab News published an article about the activities of the Jeddah Women’s Welfare Association. Yet the photos published next to the article were only of children reading books and playing. There were none of the women.

Many factors have contributed to the lack of women’s presence in the Saudi print industry. Religious, social, cultural and political factors have played a major role in hindering the development of women.

The same factors also had an impact in determining women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, or lack of them, especially in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Women’s issues were not covered in Arab News until the late 1990s. Subjects previously considered taboo, such as political reform and women driving, were being tackled, but in a very subtle manner. In 2001, Saudization initiatives were implemented, focusing on improving the labor market and providing job opportunities to Saudi graduates. Women worked mainly as teachers at the time.

An article on women and Saudization in November 2001 highlighted the rising number of women graduates and how they were struggling to find jobs in a male-dominated market.

However, despite many social restrictions and the limited number of jobs available, the article argued that Saudi women were slowly carving out a niche for themselves. Arab News reported that women nevertheless continue to account for no more than 5 percent of the estimated 3.9 million-strong Saudi work force, according to statistics issued at the time by chambers of commerce. The overwhelming majority of working women are employed in health and education, as society believed they were the sectors best suited for them.

Bit by bit, coverage of women increased in Arab News, sending a message to the whole world.

“A time of change for Saudi businesswomen” was the bold headline for an article published in the 2002 Top 100 Saudi Companies supplement, featuring a picture of a woman covered in black from head to toe.

At a time of economic boom, the Kingdom was starting to realize the importance of women in shaping the country’s development and contributing to change.

In January 2003, more than 500 Saudi businesswomen from all over the Kingdom, representing all sectors of society, participated in the first-ever day devoted to women at the Jeddah Economic Forum. The forum’s theme was focused on finding ways to benefit from globalization without compromising on local customs and standards. Arab News covered the event extensively, giving women the opportunity to speak their minds.

The first two years of the new millennium witnessed a significant change in the status of Saudi women, whether in business, education or at a social level. In December 2003, Arab News published many articles on the increasing job opportunities for Saudi women. Saudi Arabia lifted a ban that barred women from jobs in most fields. Analysts say it is a move to fight extremism and boost the economy. In 2004, the Saudi Cabinet, chaired by the late King Fahd, took a decision allowing women to obtain commercial licenses.

Previously, women could only open a business in the name of male relatives and religious and social restrictions barred them from all but a few professions such as teaching and nursing. Arab News gave the whole world an insight into what was really happening inside the Kingdom concerning women.

In 2003 and 2004, institutional mechanisms were established for the advancement of women, to protect their rights and to defend them against domestic violence. A royal decree was issued in 2004 to establish the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR).

The NSHR started to move toward spreading the newly born concept, at least where the Kingdom was concerned, of human rights.

Arab News intensely covered human rights issues while trying to spread awareness and letting the whole world know change was really happening. On Nov. 25, 2004, an article that carried the headline “Saudi Women Seek End to Home Abuse” discussed the lack of statistics on the number of women who suffer domestic violence, either by their husbands or other male relatives. The article demanded transparency in domestic abuse cases.

Arab News also urged abused women to speak out and published many articles arguing that they often have nowhere to go, there is usually no one to take care of the children, and they worry what will people say about them if they get a divorce. “More abused women will be encouraged to speak out now that people are talking about the issue, but unless steps are taken to protect the victims, not much will change for these women,” Arab News’ report claimed.

More improvements arrived in 2006 when the Saudi government announced its intention to issue for the first time independent identification cards for women.

In January 2006, Arab News ran an article praising the decision, which carried the headline: “End of a Long Quest: Saudi Women Get Their Own Identity at Last.”

“Women are rushing to get their IDs, with many of them being motivated by practical reasons rather than simply a desire to proclaim their independence,” the report said.

Arab News again took the lead when the first-ever newspaper supplement focusing exclusively on Saudi businesswomen was published in 2007. The “Top 20 Businesswomen Companies” supplement highlighted Saudi women’s achievements, developments and downturns.

The supplement also listed companies that women owned, managed or both, and covered businesses with commercial registrations or licenses, not only in Saudi Arabia but in other countries as well. With the emerging force of Saudi businesswomen, issues concerning male guardianship started to surface.

In 2007, an article carrying the title “When Is a Saudi Woman Considered an Adult?” was published, discussing the frustrations of women in Saudi Arabia and claiming that despite all their achievements, they continue to be treated as underage dependents who are forced to be managed by their male guardians.

Why does a young intelligent, ambitious woman need her guardian’s permission to enroll in a university or apply for work, the article asked, questioning whether the system even realizes that a male guardian does not necessarily have the best interests of the woman at heart when he denies her the right to education and job.

Articles on the progress of Saudi businesswomen and women’s issues in general were given priority in the newspaper. The high profile “Qatif Girl” case received international attention, with BBC, CNN and many other international news agencies quoting Arab News as their source.  In December 2007, “Qatif Girl” was pardoned by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah after she was initially found guilty of being in “khulwa” (illegal seclusion) with an unrelated man before being gang-raped by another group of men. Human rights activists welcomed the news but are calling for specific measures to prevent the sentencing of rape victims in the first place.

Another high-profile case was that of a forcefully divorced couple who suffered for over four years. A judge in Jouf had annulled the marriage of Fatima and Mansour at the request of Fatima’s half brothers.

The Supreme Judiciary Council in Riyadh overruled the decision in January 2010 and ordered that the couple be reunited in matrimony.

Today, Arab News continues to focus on Saudi women’s development, writing reports about dreams that have turned into reality, abused women seeking justice, women’s achievements and reforms.