Saudis Have the Lowest Percentage of Women Working in the World

The Arab News reports:

Princess Adelah, who spoke in the first session titled “The Futuristic View for Saudi Women”, pointed out that having women in the work place is a major reason for achieving national development. To this end it is important to investigate if the foundation is available in the Kingdom that will allow women to be productive in the work place. Such investigation must shed light on the policies and procedures that have been created to facilitate women working and then to see to what extent these have been implemented. It is also necessary to look at the responsibility of society to this issue.

Princess Adelah noted that women are half of the Saudi population of 16,843,200 (2005 figures). But the number of working women was just 494,000 from 5 million women of working age, or only 9 percent of the women available to work. She added that the Kingdom has the lowest percentage in the world — just 5.5 percent — of women in the workforce as a percentage of the total population of women.

“Unemployment for women is on the rise even though job opportunities for women are increasing,” she said.

No word yet from America's Women's Studies Departments on this one.