RIYADH: Saudi women’s participation in the political affairs of the Kingdom has improved through the enactment of a series of legislative measures, according to a recent study.
One of these measures, which is considered the most important, has increased the participation of women in the Shoura Council.
However, the study found that such participation needs improvement, suggesting that Saudi women implement Shoura resolutions as well as the recommendations.
The study, titled “Factors affecting the activation of women’s political participation in Saudi Arabia,” was a doctoral thesis written this year by Hind Al-Otaibi.
She expressed hope that her study would be a valuable contribution to ramp up women’s participation in the Kingdom’s political affairs.
The study aimed to find out “the various factors affecting the activation level of political participation of women in Saudi society and to find the common trend among women in this area.”
The study explained that “the most important factor affecting the level of activation of the political participation of Saudi women is cultural.”
“This clearly shows the lack of social acceptance of women’s work and achievement in the Kingdom’s political sphere,” the study said.
The study explained that “despite what characterized the Saudi women’s abilities, it did not result in minor changes in their political participation.”
Based on its findings, the study aimed to provide a mechanism for activating political participation of Saudi women in contemporary times.
The writer employed a systematic theory as one of the modalities in conducting and writing the study, in addition to the usual interview as a tool for data collection.
The study was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a PhD at the Department of Sociology in the Faculty of Social and Administrative Sciences at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences.