DUBAI: Saudi Arabia is making slow but steady progress toward closing the “gender gap” between men and women in employment, education and health, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The WEF expects the recent decision to allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia to hasten their participation in society. But women remain well behind global norms in political participation.
Although Saudi Arabia still ranks toward the bottom on the WEF global index of progress toward closing the gender gap in public and social life, it has improved three places over last year to rank 138th globally, and is among the biggest improvers in the years since the report first appeared, according to Saadia Zahidi, the WEF’s head of gender and education.
“Saudi Arabia has actually made the most progress in terms of female economic participation since the report began in 2006. Admittedly it came from a low base, but proportionately it has been significant,” she told Arab News.
“We will only see the effect of the decision to allow women to drive next year, but you can expect that to be positive,” she added.
Another WEF source said: “This report shows how Saudi Arabia is slowly but surely paving the way for a stronger society where women are given the opportunity to live their full potential. Also, keeping in mind all the reforms happening at the moment, next year’s report results seem to be even more promising.”
But it has not been a good year for women elsewhere in the world. For the first time since the WEF report was launched in 2006, the “gender gap” — a measure of progress toward gender equity according to economic, educational, health and political criteria — has widened compared to last year.
Calling it “a bad year in a good decade,” the WEF said that gender equality had decreased in the workplace and politics, especially in some countries with big populations like China and India, which affected the weighted totals.
Among the G-20 countries, France is ranked highest on gender parity at 11th place in the global ranking, followed by Germany (12), the UK (15), Canada (16), South Africa (19) and Argentina (34). The US drops four places to 49, while at the lower end of the group, no fewer than six countries rank at or above 100. These are China (100), India (108), Japan (114), the Republic of Korea (118), Turkey (131) and Saudi Arabia (138).
Overall, 68 percent of the global gender gap has been closed — down slightly from the previous two years — and it will still take 100 years to fully close that gap worldwide, the WEF said.
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), at the current rate of progress, it will take 157 years to close the gap.
The country closest to fully bridging the gender gap is Iceland, followed by Norway and Finland. Rwanda, with a high number of female politicians, is in fourth place.
Among Arab countries, Tunisia is the highest ranked at 117, followed by the UAE at 120 and Bahrain at 126. “However out of the 17 countries covered by the index in the MENA region this year, 11 countries have improved their overall score compared to last year. The UAE is now very close to closing its gender gap in educational attainment,” the WEF said.
Zahidi said that the lifting of the driving ban in Saudi Arabia was an important factor toward greater female empowerment, but that other measures — like improved, safe public transport and remote digital working — would be needed to help lower-paid women.
She added that the history of Islam had many examples of powerful women who played a full part in business and society.
WEF praises slow but sure progress in closing Saudi ‘gender gap’
WEF praises slow but sure progress in closing Saudi ‘gender gap’
Foreign ministers chair Saudi-Omani coordination council meeting in Muscat
MUSCAT: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi on Monday.
They reviewed bilateral relations between their nations and ways to enhance and develop them across various fields. Additionally, they discussed regional and international developments.
The ministers co-chaired the third meeting of the Saudi-Omani Coordination Council in the Omani capital, Muscat, with the participation of the heads of the Council’s subsidiary committees and the two heads of the Council’s General Secretariat teams.
The meeting comes as an affirmation of the keenness of Saudi and Omani leaders to strengthen ties and advance them toward greater prosperity for both nations.
In his remarks during the meeting, Prince Faisal affirmed that gathering builds on the previous council meeting, held last year in AlUla, and on its positive and fruitful outcomes within the framework of the approved recommendations and initiatives.
He stressed the importance of continuing the work of the council’s subsidiary committees to complete the necessary procedures to implement the remaining initiatives, and of the General Secretariat’s role in follow-up and in addressing any challenges that may hinder implementation.
He also underscored the importance of developing and enhancing trade relations, stimulating investment, and strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors.
He also praised the ongoing work to establish and launch the Coordination Council’s electronic platform, which aims to connect all committee work and initiatives to facilitate follow-up on the Council’s progress.
Al-Busaidi affirmed in his remarks the qualitative progress in relations between the two countries and the notable development witnessed across numerous sectors toward achieving economic integration and enhancing intra-trade and joint investments.
The Omani foreign minister also highlighted deeper cooperation in the security and judicial fields, as well as the cultural and tourism sectors, noting the advanced and continuous political cooperation, consultation, and coordination on regional and international issues.
