Saudi Women No Longer Need Male Consent to Work

Saudi Arabian women no longer need the consent of their father or custodian to be employed, a senior official at the labor ministry reportedly claimed. Speaking at a workshop in the eastern coastal city of Dammam, he revealed that unemployment among Saudi women has reached 28 percent, while their representation does not go beyond 1.2 percent in the kingdom’s 5,214 factories. Citing unspecified data, he added that about 20,000 Saudi women are looking for work for in production sectors; 16,000 in construction and contracting; and 65,000 in insurance. The Gulf kingdom’s government has been involved in a drive to get more Saudi female nationals employed. In April, for instance, the Kingdom announced plans to open a textile factory in June which will be exclusively run by female staff. (Source: http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saudi-women-no-longer-need-male-consent-work-report-457596.html)