Before we jump up and down, roar with approval and applaud the news that Saudi women are now eligible to become ambassadors to foreign countries, let’s take a moment and examine the real news.
Foreign Ministry officials simply said they do not oppose having Saudi women serve as ambassadors. The distance between not opposing such an idea and actually seeing a woman represent Saudi Arabia in a foreign country is so great that it would take a wormhole deep in the universe to close the billion light-year gap.
It’s one thing to state no opposition. It’s quite another to endorse and execute a policy. So, yes, I am skeptical that a Saudi woman will serve as an ambassador, say, to the United States or England any time soon.
But having said that, Saudis should appreciate the fact that nearly 400 women have been serving as diplomats, such as undersecretaries and attachés, for about 10 years and have represented their country well. It’s unfortunate the Foreign Ministry hires so many foreign women as support personnel in embassies and consulates when there are so many qualified Saudi women for those jobs. But it is heartening to see that many Saudi females are filling important positions throughout the world.
More good news is that the ministry is considering a number of funding programs to bring more women aboard and employment applications will be accepted during the second half of January with written exams scheduled for Feb. 15-16 in Riyadh.
However, the qualifications are restrictive, though not particularly unreasonable except when it comes to the ages of the applicants. Applicants must be of good character, never been convicted of breaking trust or honor and never been fired from a government job. Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree and be 30 years old or under. Second secretary applicants can’t be over the age of 35 and should possess a master’s degree with a good GPA. The Ministry of Education also must certify degree holders from foreign universities. Married applicants must be married to a Saudi.
The criteria to qualify for a diplomatic position is pretty standard, but it’s too bad that women over the age of 35 are banned from consideration. Youth has its purpose, but experience, along with a postgraduate degree, trumps youth on any day. An educated woman with 15-plus years work experience would be invaluable to the Foreign Service. I don’t know the qualification requirements for male applicants, but if it’s identical to females, then so be it.
But if age requirements differ between the two genders, then it puts women at a disadvantage, especially since Saudi women have proven themselves in earning graduate and postgraduate degrees in the thousands from foreign universities and are ready to repay their country with a commitment to serve their government.
If anything, it should be the Foreign Ministry’s priority to fast-track women to join the diplomatic corps, both in high-level, very public positions and to replace foreign support personnel.
It would behoove Saudi Arabia to place qualified women in high-profile jobs given the current anti-Muslim, anti-Arab sentiment in the West. It would also go a long way in countering misconceptions that Saudi women are hidden from the world and chained to the kitchen. Our country needs to present its best image and what better way than have women in top jobs.
