Speaking at the first session of the Forum on the Participation of Women in National Development on Monday, Princess Adela emphasized that women face many challenges at work because of tradition. The forum was opened by her on Sunday night.
“The participation of women in social development in developing countries is still not clear. Women face many challenges at work because of tradition,” she said.
The first day of the two-day event, organized by the Khadijah bint Khuwallid Center at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was attended by a large number of women as well as men.
Princess Adela said 93 percent of Saudi women have been to school and added there are 215,000 women teachers, far exceeding their male counterparts.
According to the princess, Saudi women are now entering new fields like engineering and are becoming lawyers.
They now hold key positions in health, science and research. They also hold important diplomatic positions in Canada and the United States. They represent the Kingdom when meeting with international delegations.
Women in the Kingdom are also appointed at the Passport Department, in prisons and in the Civil Defense. There are 51,000 women employees in the private sector and women own 12 percent of Saudi companies. Over SR100 billion is in the hands of women in the domestic market.
Princess Adela also highlighted the role of women in the media, theater and sports.
“Despite this, women’s participation is below expectations. A society cannot walk with a limp,” she said, adding that media awareness is badly needed to highlight the issue of women's participation in society to increase acceptance.
Princess Adela called on the private sector to create more jobs for women, and to study job market needs. She also urged banks to come up with specific loans for women to give them the opportunity to start up their own business.
“There is urgent need for Saudi Arabia to diversify its activities and to balance economic growth with population growth. With 25 percent of the Saudi society financially helping the other 75 percent, this demonstrates the need for a greater role for women in social development,” she told Arab News.
“Women are needed in all fields without any exception, as long as they are qualified. We cannot blame men for isolating women from key jobs and accuse them of standing in women’s way. If women were not qualified enough, no one will support them.”
Mai bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa, minister of culture and information of Bahrain, said the problem of women in developing countries is that “they stand still and wait for outside or internal forces to push them forward.”
She said these hurdles would not be overcome with education, as it is a social belief that favors the group over individuals.
“In the Kingdom of Bahrain, we face no discrimination between men and women. The problem is only in adjusting priorities. Women in Bahrain work as taxi drivers and as police officers,” she said. “GCC countries will not succeed in projecting a positive image about themselves unless they are united in their efforts.”
Saudi writer Abdo Khal said the isolation of women was a societal trend. “We will not develop unless a political decision is made,” he added.
Lama Al-Sulaiman, vice chairwoman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry also spoke at the conference. “If we continue to change at this speed, we will make dreams come true. All we need is transparency in addressing sensitive issues,” she said.
“Society should agree with the Kingdom’s vision to involve women in all fields,” said Al-Sulaiman, who stressed that she still faces difficulty in convincing people that she holds a position at the JCCI. “This makes it necessary at times to reconnect with male colleagues to address these people and convince them.”
Al-Sulaiman also claimed “addressing women’s issues in the Kingdom is just like discussing issues considered complicated, contradicting, and debatable. Therefore, society tends to avoid discussing them. This issue could be handled though highlighting the flexibility of our religion.”
Fatima Muhammad Abdu Yamani, daughter of the former minister who died recently, read out a speech written by him two days before his death.
“What have we prepared for the girls who have already graduated and those still studying? We have to move toward our goals in a clear manner. We have to know that women’s participation in development is essential and crucial. We should understand women’s need for a job, especially if they graduate,” she told the forum with tears in her eyes.
