Women in the workforce

قبل

In 2017, only 17% of Saudi women were in the workforce — one of the lowest rates globally. Most women who wanted to work faced overlapping barriers: driving restrictions, guardianship requirements, sector limits, and few childcare options.

المبادرة

Driving rights (2018), guardianship reform, anti-harassment legislation, childcare mandates for larger employers, sector openings across retail, hospitality, finance, law, engineering, and technology. Wusool subsidized commuting; Qurrah subsidized childcare.

النتيجة

By Q1 2025, Saudi female labor force participation reached 36.3% — more than double the 2017 baseline and well past the original V2030 target of 30%. Saudi female employment grew about 11% (160,000 women) in the past two years alone.

للمواطنين

Saudi women now work across virtually every sector. Average female wages rose 17% in two years — nearly twice the rate of Saudi men. Two-earner households are now the norm in cities, and daughters grow up seeing a wider universe of futures open to them.