RIYADH: The World Bank and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development have put the number of unemployed Saudi women at 33 percent.
The bank said that this is one of the worst percentages internationally, considering that spending on educating women in Saudi Arabia is also the highest internationally and that Saudi women are among the wealthiest globally and own many companies.
Despite this, the great majority of Saudi women suffer and there are several reasons for this.
A recent study by the Ifad Consultative Research and Studies Center showed that the reason 33 percent of Saudi women do not work is that they lack means of transportation.
The study stressed that this is the most important factor that prevents women from working, in view of the special nature of Saudi society.
The study found that about 90 per cent of the sample included in the survey are unemployed and the average monthly income of those that do work is between SR1,500 and SR3,000.
Even though the study is not official and the figures to consider should be those given by the General Authority for Statistics, it gives an idea about the size of the challenge facing Saudi women who wish to get employed.
Transportation and the lack of opportunities in different sectors are the two most important factors that prevent women from gaining employment.
Therefore, legislations is vital to enable women to work. More effort needs to be exerted to enable women to enter the labor market, the report said.
“As we look forward to meeting Vision 2030, there are many challenges in front of us but our ambitions are even bigger,” said the report.
The bank said that this is one of the worst percentages internationally, considering that spending on educating women in Saudi Arabia is also the highest internationally and that Saudi women are among the wealthiest globally and own many companies.
Despite this, the great majority of Saudi women suffer and there are several reasons for this.
A recent study by the Ifad Consultative Research and Studies Center showed that the reason 33 percent of Saudi women do not work is that they lack means of transportation.
The study stressed that this is the most important factor that prevents women from working, in view of the special nature of Saudi society.
The study found that about 90 per cent of the sample included in the survey are unemployed and the average monthly income of those that do work is between SR1,500 and SR3,000.
Even though the study is not official and the figures to consider should be those given by the General Authority for Statistics, it gives an idea about the size of the challenge facing Saudi women who wish to get employed.
Transportation and the lack of opportunities in different sectors are the two most important factors that prevent women from gaining employment.
Therefore, legislations is vital to enable women to work. More effort needs to be exerted to enable women to enter the labor market, the report said.
“As we look forward to meeting Vision 2030, there are many challenges in front of us but our ambitions are even bigger,” said the report.
