The appointment of Hanan al-Ahmadi as the assistant speaker of the Saudi Shoura Council has offered a qualitative leap for women empowerment in the kingdom as she is the first Saudi woman to hold the third highest position in the consultative body.
In her first press interview after assuming the leadership position, al-Ahmadi confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that women empowerment in Saudi Arabia is much more than a symbolic initiative. It rather embodies strongly held beliefs and convictions around the importance of the role played by women in the kingdom.
“There is no longer a field where female Saudi citizens do not have the full opportunity to prove their worth,” al-Ahmadi said on the occasion of International Women's Day.
Saudi Arabia has worked rapidly to build an integrated system of legislation that promotes the empowerment of women and guarantees their rights, but some organizations and bodies have continued to exploit isolated cases to project a false image of Saudi women.
Al-Ahmadi has been a member of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia since 2013 and Assistant Speaker since October 2020. She also served as the director general of the women's branch of the Institute of Public Administration.
In 1995, al-Ahmadi completed a PhD in Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the US.
“The journey of women empowerment does not exclusively concern women, but rather is a common goal for society,” al-Ahmadi told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that such an undertaking entails investing all energies to secure equal opportunities and full rights to a better life for all.
“There is no doubt that Saudi Arabia has come a long way towards activating the role of women and their participation in development,” she asserted.
Since the era of its founding monarch to the era of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince, the Kingdom has undergone several pivotal stages in women empowerment and has taken long strides in reinforcing female participation in the political, consultative, educational, commercial, industrial, social and charitable sectors.
“Successive leaderships in the kingdom have affirmed their firm conviction that enhancing the role of women is central to achieving an integrated renaissance, establishing sustainable development rules, keeping abreast of changes and developments, facing challenges, and achieving balance and stability,” al-Ahmadi noted.
She added that women empowerment goes hand in hand with preserving the community’s identity, values and culture that are derived from Islamic teachings.
It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia’s national plan for transformation, “Kingdom Vison 2030,” promotes women empowerment and encourages female contribution for achieving its goals.
The kingdom has worked hard at building an integrated system of legislations that augments the empowerment of women and guarantees their rights. Horizons for female participation in public life were expanded to include leadership positions.
Today, Saudi women are members of the kingdom’s Shoura Council and municipal councils. They also occupy decision-making positions in various sectors.
“Women are the main source of development for any society. Hence, without empowered women, it is almost impossible to implement any societal reforms given that women form half of the societies and they are the ones who raise up generations,” al-Ahmadi said, quoting King Salman’s W20 summit speech.
“Women have proven through history their remarkable role in leading change and in decision making,” she added.
Asked about how the kingdom’s unprecedented openness in various fields has reflected on the women’s standing in society, al-Ahmadi said: “When observing the march of women in the kingdom, one realizes the amount of attention paid by the state to strengthening the status of women socially and professionally.”
Women in Saudi Arabia are afforded distinct education and qualification opportunities in various disciplines. Legislation and national plans were also put in place to help them play greater roles in different fields.
“Saudi women have become pioneers in the public and private sectors, and in the academic and professional fields,” asserted al-Ahmadi, adding that opportunities have doubled in size since Kingdom Vision 2030 was launched.
“A large part of the reforms brought about by the vision have benefited women, reflecting positively on the process of boosting their participation and contribution to development,” said al-Ahmadi.
The Saudi female trailblazer also confirmed that women in the Kingdom have risen to the occasion and their star had shined in any position they filled or responsibility they were handed.
“I would like to emphasize that Saudi women have always been trustworthy and responsible. They excelled in academic achievement, proved their competence at the workplace, and succeeded in all the societal and professional roles assigned to them,” said al-Ahmadi.
Al-Ahmad concluded by affirming that in addition to the political and economic role that Saudi Arabia plays in the international community, the Kingdom also began having a growing clout by adopting reforms that empower woman.
