Arab women start businesses without guardians

Saudi Arabia aims to increase its female workforce from 22% to over 30% by 2030. Photo: AP

The Ministry of Commerce and Investment has now announced that Saudi women will be allowed to start their own businesses in the country and benefit from online government services without having to prove that they have received the consent of a male guardian.

The above legal “relaxations” are considered a big step forward for economic development in the private sector.

Previously, to start a business, Saudi women were required to prove they had permission from a male guardian, usually a husband, father or brother.

And things started to improve in 2017, when 32-year-old Prince Mohammed Ben Salman launched a series of reforms aimed at boosting women’s participation in society. The goal is to increase the country’s female workforce from 22% to over 30% by 2030.

The first steps have been taken. On February 12, for the first time in its history, the Riyadh Public Prosecutor's Office announced its intention to employ women.

Saudi Arabia's Passport Service recently announced it received applications from 107,000 women applying for 140 vacancies at airports and border crossings.

Last year, Saudi Arabia also announced that women would be allowed to drive starting in June 2018. Women were even allowed into football stadiums for the first time this past January.

Prince Mohammed Ben Salman has promised to bring about a “moderate and tolerant” Saudi Arabia, breaking with Wahhabism – a form of Islam seen as strict in the eyes of Westerners.

However, despite the “relaxation” of some laws, Saudi Arabian women are still bound by many things. Mainly, they are subject to the male guardianship system.

This means that they still need permission from the male family member to go to school, travel and participate in other activities.