Hala Al-Tuwaijri is the head of the Women’s Empowerment Team at G20 Riyadh and has been the secretary-general of the Saudi Family Affairs Council since 2017.
In a recent interview, she spoke about the impact on Saudi families of the social reforms taking place in Saudi Arabia and the challenges surrounding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
She said: “The Saudi family is mostly intact and holding up well in most areas, but it is greatly affected by the social and economic changes in the Kingdom.
“There are a lot of changes that directly affect the family, such as the increase in job opportunities for both sexes, urban sprawl, and migrating from rural areas to cities.
“But under the current situation, health, social, and economic challenges that were brought up alongside COVID-19 were especially taxing on the Saudi family.”
“We are very keen to unify all efforts to spread awareness and are activating initiatives that help families overcome this crisis,” Al-Tuwaijri added.
Al-Tuwaijri gained a bachelor’s degree in English literature in 1998, a master’s degree in English literature/drama in 2004, and in 2011 a Ph.D. in American literature/drama, all from King Saud University (KSU).
She started her career as a teacher, but then joined KSU’s staff as a lecturer in 2004. She is currently an assistant professor of English literature at the university, teaching modern English literature and literary criticism.
Al-Tuwaijri was appointed as the vice chair of the department of English language and literature in 2012 and was the vice dean of KSU’s College of Arts from 2013 to 2015.
