04 December 2016
As part of Vision 2030, the kingdom is looking to restructure its economy after years of low oil prices, but social reform, including female empowerment, is also being pushed to the top of the agenda.
King Salman on Friday reshuffled the kingdom's top consultative body, the Council of Senior Scholars.
Of the new appointments, 29 members are females.
Read more here
As part of Vision 2030, the kingdom is looking to restructure its economy after years of low oil prices, but social reform, including female empowerment, is also being pushed to the top of the agenda.
King Salman on Friday reshuffled the kingdom's top consultative body, the Council of Senior Scholars.
Of the new appointments, 29 members are females.
Read more here
At the same time, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has said he believes it is time for Saudi women to get behind the wheel, calling a ban on female drivers in the kingdom an infringement of women's rights.
The prince, who is chairman of Kingdom Holdings and has holdings in a number of international companies, including Twitter and Citigroup, said the driving ban was not just a rights issue, but also an economic one.
Read more here
Female empowerment can indeed have a positive impact on economic activity. Nicola Hewitt, Middle East Advisor for Girl Rising, a global movement advocating female education, told a forum in Jordan last week that more educational opportunities for women can increase the GDP of a country by up to 3 percent.
She announced that in 2017 the group is planning to make a 12 minute short film in Saudi Arabia focusing on this issue.
“We are picking Saudi Arabia since more women are educated than men there, with a 91 percent literacy rate. But there, the problem is not getting to school, it is getting a job,” Hewitt said.
Read more here.
The prince, who is chairman of Kingdom Holdings and has holdings in a number of international companies, including Twitter and Citigroup, said the driving ban was not just a rights issue, but also an economic one.
Read more here
Female empowerment can indeed have a positive impact on economic activity. Nicola Hewitt, Middle East Advisor for Girl Rising, a global movement advocating female education, told a forum in Jordan last week that more educational opportunities for women can increase the GDP of a country by up to 3 percent.
She announced that in 2017 the group is planning to make a 12 minute short film in Saudi Arabia focusing on this issue.
“We are picking Saudi Arabia since more women are educated than men there, with a 91 percent literacy rate. But there, the problem is not getting to school, it is getting a job,” Hewitt said.
Read more here.
© Express 2016
