Saudi women now comprise 37 per cent of the workforce in the kingdom, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Ahmed Al Rajhi, has said.
In 2016, only 17.7 per cent of the workforce were female.
About 2.2 million Saudis are now employed in the private sector, the highest number in the country's history.
"Young Saudi girls are passionate, driven and skilled," said Shurouq Ahmed, a female sports trainer in Jeddah.
"They want to go out there and work. They are independent and have always been this way, but now the difference is they have the chance and the opportunity thanks to our leadership and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."
Saudi women aged 15 to 24 are actively taking up more jobs, statistics show. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Statistics’ (Gastat) said their participation rate rose from eight per cent in the second quarter of last year to 50.1 per cent in the third.
Basma Bouzo, co-founder of Saudi Design Week and Bouqo, a consulting agency, said: "In the firm we’re actually all females with the exception of one male.
"At SDW, we consciously make sure we have a balanced female-to-male ratio for speakers."
Ghalia Alshareef, an entrepreneur and chef in Khobar, said: "Saudi women have always supported each other.
"If a woman wants to become a baker, all her friends will start sharing her social media page and ordering from her, or if there's a designer, suddenly all your family and friends will become your first customers.
"This is our culture and I have to stay it's impressive and keeps us together, giving us motivation and strength to do better."
Aloula, one of the country's leading non-profit organisations, was founded by seven Saudi women in 1962 under the name Aljamia Alnsaia Alkhiria Aloula.
Aloula supports underprivileged women and children, empowering females by providing them with basic needs, health support and training.
The organisation helps educate women by training them to use computers, teaching them nursing assistance and providing self-confidence and entrepreneurial skills. Aloula also established an orphanage and an elderly home.
"In 2003, we established a ladies club for women and children with swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts and a gym for them and their children," said Aloula board member Nasiba Hafiz, a Saudi fashion designer in Jeddah.
In 2017, Aloula developed a new strategy that focused on fighting poverty through early intervention with educational, professional and physical training.
"We provide basic needs for the families — from housing, food school supplies and health care — so they can live a quality life," said Ms Hafiz. "I joined Aloula in 2020 during lockdown and it was one of the best blessings for me ... working with such great women has taught me so much.
"My role before becoming a board member was using some of the leftover materials from years back and making use of it — recycling, upcycling, reusing anything we had to create a fashionable collection to raise money for the families of Aloula."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
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Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
