Saudi Arabia has appointed 10 women in high roles in several holy mosques across the country. Notably, two of them have been placed in the mosques of Mecca and Medina, the holy pilgrimage sites for Muslims all over the world. The others have been placed across various departments, including administrative and technical, according to a statement released by the general presidency for the affairs of the two holy mosques.
This ‘recruitment drive’ has been aimed at empowering Saudi women with high qualifications and capabilities. 41 women had been previously recruited in high leadership positions in 2018 as reported by Saudi media. This has been executed as a part of the vision 2030 plan by Prince Mohammed of the royal family of the Saudi. It was reported that he has been seeking to boost employment for women to diversify the kingdom’s economy away from oil.
The number of working women in Saudi Arabia reached 1.03 million in 2018, which is roughly 35% of the total workforce. Similar reforms in this accord include the driving rights for women, mixed-gender appearances at public events and permission to attend concerts.
It is to be noted that despite these measures, a large number of women have been detained for protesting to have the right to drive. Some of the activists allege they were tortured and sexually harassed by interrogators.