JEDDAH, 14 March — Princess Aljawharah Al-Ibrahim, wife of the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, inaugurated celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of King Fahd’s accession to the throne at the female campus of King Abdul Aziz University on Monday.
The princess attended the two-day event and toured the Heritage Exhibition, where KAAU students put on display the heritage of each region in the Kingdom.
The first day’s events included a documentary about the situation of Saudi women during King Fahd’s reign.
Addressing a symposium on Women during King Fahd’s reign, Dr. Rofaydah Khashoggi, the director of the female campus, said the period had witnessed an increase in the number of educational and other opportunities for Saudi women.
Dr. Nadia Ba’eshen said official figures show that the number of Saudi women joining the workforce has increased from 1 to 7 percent during the last 20 years.
She said the number of working women have increased in the public sector, and they also started playing a vital role in the private sector. “Today women work not merely as teachers, you can also find them in banks, car showroom and other businesses,” she added.
Dr. Nora Al-Musaed, dean of Arts and Humanities, referred to the Kingdom’s signing the UN convention for eliminating all forms of discrimination against women.
She said a survey showed that all the girls in the campus enjoy a more respectable position in their families compared to the previous generation. “They have the freedom to decide about their education and to choose their profession,” she said.
