Arab Woman Awards KSA 2014 Winners Honored

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This past February, The Arab Woman Awards KSA 2014 winners were honored at a gala reception at the Faisaliah Hotel here on Sunday evening. The ceremony was attended by over 300 women from the Kingdom.

This ceremony marks the first ever Arab Woman Awards to be held in the Kingdom, the awards have been held in three other GCC countries in the past five years including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. 

The awards taking place in Saudi Arabia this year, aim to provide a culturally acceptable platform to recognize 16 inspirational winners from diverse fields including business, education, literature, entrepreneurship, humanitarian sciences, art and sashion.

“Since launching in the UAE in 2009, the Arab Woman Awards have recognized some of the region’s most outstanding women and provided a platform for further achievements. Accordingly, it was an honor to be asked to be the patron of the inaugural Arab Woman Awards in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am pleased to see these awards highlighting the endeavors of many hardworking Saudi women in their various fields, and also providing inspiration for the next generation of young Saudi women," said Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, patron of the Arab Woman Awards KSA 2014.

Princess Lolowah Al-Faisal was acknowledged as KSA’s education winner for the year 2014 while the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Samar Fatany. 

“I am honored to be a holder of such a prestigious award which is a positive initiative that recognizes the achievements of women who have contributed to the progress and development of our beloved country," said Fatany.

Established in 2009 by ITP Consumer the Arab Woman Awards are now held annually in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait with the addition of Saudi Arabia this year. 

To date over 165 women have been recognized from sectors including business, education, art, medical, literature, sport, fashion, media and entrepreneurship.

The winners are selected following a three-month process by a private judging board. The KSA 214 board of judges was chaired by Princess Reema and included experts from different areas and representatives from across the Kingdom.

Full List of 2014 Winners

• Businesswoman: Huda Al Ghoson
• Education: HRH Princess Lolowah Al-Faisal Bin AbdulAziz
• Art: Manal Al Dowayan
• Entrepreneur: Lateefa Alwaalan
• Literature: Dr. Badria Al Bisher
• Sport: Sarah Attar
• Fashion Designer: Amina Al Jassim
• Young Designer: Maha Al Sudairi
• Medical: Dr. Suad Bint Mohamed Bin Amer
• Humanitarian: Suad Juffali
• Media: Haifaa Almansour
• Young Talent: Basmah Felemban
• Woman in Government: Dr. Thoraya Obaid
• Inspirational Arab Women of the year: Nashwa Taher
• Lifetime Achievement: Samar Fatany
• Special Recognition: HRH Sara Bint Faisal Al Saud

Published by Saudi Gazette

First Female Law Firm Opened in Jeddah

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In what is being seen as a major boost for Saudi women seeking legal advice and help, Bayan Mahmoud Al-Zahran, the first Saudi woman lawyer who was issued license to practice law in the Kingdom, launched the first female law firm for the benefit of Saudi women on Wednesday.

Bayan Al-Zahran became the first Saudi woman lawyer when she appeared at the General Court in Jeddah for the first time in November last year to defend a client. She had been working for years as a legal consultant and had represented dozens of people in criminal and civil cases besides family disputes.

Al-Zahran told Arab News that the objective of her law firm is to fight for the rights of Saudi women and bring their problems before the court, since male lawyers in many cases couldn’t understand the problems and situations of a female plaintiff.

She said that she was planning to take up labor cases and business disputes but would also dedicate her time to women’s cases. 

“I believe women lawyers can contribute a lot to the legal system. This law firm will make a difference in the history of court cases and female disputes in the Kingdom. I am very hopeful and thank everyone who supported me in taking this historical step,” she said. 

Al-Zahran said in the past, Saudi women faced problems finding a female lawyer who could represent them in the court. However, with the establishment of her law firm, this problem will be solved, she said, adding that she was ready to take up cases of both genders.

She said she was looking forward to progress of women lawyers in Saudi Arabia in protecting the rights of women. “This is a very positive step toward the Saudi court and justices as right now, we are four female lawyers who got the license, but I am hopeful that in future, the number will increase,” she added. 

Al-Zahran’s father Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Zahran said this is the first step toward the protection of the women’s rights in the Kingdom. “We are very proud of our daughter who stands firm for protection of women’s rights. This will help all women who couldn’t go and speak to male lawyers about their problems,” he said. 

The launch was attended by Mazen Batterjee, vice president of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, Zuhair Nawab, president of the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), Dr. Hussain Al Shareef , supervisor general of National Human Rights Organization, Makkah, Dr. Suhail Sawan, executive director of national committee for prisoners, Dr. Inam Ribwai, director of children surgery at King Fahad hospital and former director of family protection organization, and a number of businessmen and society ladies, doctors, lawyers, academics and jurists.

Mazen Batterjee, while congratulating Bayan and all the female lawyers, however, emphasized on Shariah law in every aspect of life and in law practice in Saudi courts.

He said female lawyers should follow the restrictions of the court for hijab since Islam while giving rights to women, also had ethics in place for women while presenting themselves before a judge.

He hoped this first step toward a women’s law firm will be successful and follow all the rules and regulations of court and religion.

Dr. Suhail Sawan said that Al-Zahran was working for years as legal consultant and studying cases of prisons which gave her excellent exposure. This law firm is a milestone in that there are situations which can only be understood and represented by a female lawyer, he said.

Published on Arab News by Fouzia Khan

First Saudi Woman Appointed To A Top OIC Post

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Maha Akeel signing a copy of her book

Maha Akeel, a Saudi journalist who was the managing editor of OIC journal, has been appointed the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The appointment of a woman as a Director of a department is a shot-in-the-arm for women empowerment.

Speaking to Saudi Gazette she said that her new duties are to keep the public informed about OIC and its activities, to promote objective and strategies of the organization and to shed light on different initiatives of OIC.

She described the new position as “challenging” and a “big step” for women in the Islamic states and Saudi women in particular. “I have big responsibilities, however, with the support of the secretary-general and the help of my colleagues I will be able to do my duty.”

The challenge, she said, are less intense as she has been familiar with the work in the OIC having worked in the media department for seven years. “Women have been working in the OIC since 2006 when I first joined. We are now about 7 in number, and the secretary-general is looking forward to employ more women.”

The newly appointed OIC secretary-general is Iyad Madani, who is the former Saudi minister of information. 

Maha denied that her new position has been given to her based on her nationality. She added, “I had to fight for this!” 

Maha, during the OIC celebration of International Women’s Day recently, had remarked: “Unfortunately, there is a general misconception about the status of women in Islam and her rights and duties, not only by non-Muslims but also by Muslims themselves.

“And the media plays a critical role in propagating these ideas and stereotypical images of Muslim women abroad, and some of the misunderstandings of Islam, policies and inherited traditions in our societies confirm these images, whereas Islam has preserved the rights of women and raised her status.”

Published on Saudi Gazette by Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette Appoints Kingdom’s First Female Newspaper Editor

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The Saudi Gazette newspaper has appointed the country’s first female editor-in-chief, in what has been called a “historic” move in the conservative kingdom.

Somayya Jabarti takes the reins of the English-language newspaper from Khaled Almaeena, who becomes editor-at-large.

Jabarti, previously deputy editor, becomes the first female editor of a national newspaper in Saudi Arabia, although other women have headed magazines in the kingdom.

“There’s a crack that has been made in the glass ceiling. And I’m hoping it will be made into a door,” Jabarti told Al Arabiya News.

“This is a first for a Saudi daily… A mold has been broken where editors-in-chief of Saudi daily newspapers are concerned.”

Jabarti spoke of the responsibility she feels in the new position, given that her success may have a bearing on other women’s careers.

“Being the first Saudi woman [newspaper editor] is going to be double the responsibility... One’s actions will reflect upon my fellow Saudi women,” she said.

“The success will not be complete unless I see my peers who are also Saudi women in the media, take other roles where they are decision makers.”

Before joining the Saudi Gazette in March 2011, Jabarti worked at rival newspaper Arab News, where over nine years she rose in the ranks to deputy editor.

Jabarti’s new role begins imminently, with her name appearing on the newspaper masthead from tomorrow.

The editor says she has not encountered any sexism or racism at Saudi Gazette, which has about 20 reporters, of which just three are men.

“The majority of our reporters are women – not because we are biased and choosing women over men. There are more women who are interested in being journalists, and who are journalists.”

However, most of the newspaper’s staff are content editors, and these are predominately men, she added. She said Saudi visa restrictions and working hours were challenges to employing more women.

The former editor-in-chief Almaeena confirmed the change at the newspaper, calling Jabarti’s appointment a “historic” move.

“She’s the first editor-in-chief of a Saudi paper - English or Arabic-language,” he said. “In Saudi Arabia it’s a major achievement.”

Almaeena, writing of his move here, said he has long held a goal of seeing a “Saudi woman enter the male-dominated bastion of editors-in-chief.”

But he told Al Arabiya News that Jabarti’s gender was not a factor in the appointment. “She deserves it,” he said. “For me, gender doesn’t matter.”

Almaeena said that the newspaper’s “greatest competitor” is Twitter, something that will prove a “major challenge” for the new editor.

Almaeena took the editorship of Saudi Gazette in April 2012, having twice been editor of Arab News, from 1982 to 1993 and from 1998 to 2011.

“An editor-in-chief is like a platoon commander,” he wrote. “He has to make hasty decisions, shoot from the hip and improvise without turning to press rules and regulations. And I enjoy doing that as exhibited by front-paging the story of the two Saudi women athletes to the Olympics when many others were hesitant to do so. For our team, red lines often were very thin and blurred.”

Published on Alarabiya English by Ben Flanegan

Women and Economic Decision-Making - Davos 2013

Originally posted on May 12, 2013 
Some of the most influential women in world discussed how to close gender-gaps at the highest levels of economic decision-making at the 2013 World Economic Forum.

The panelists include:

• Lubna Alolayan, Deputy Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Olayan Financing Company
• Drew Gilpin Faust, President, Harvard University
• Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Economic Forum Foundation Board Member
• Viviane Reding, Vice-President and Commissioner, Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, European Commission
• Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Board, Facebook; Young Global Leader Alumnus
• Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Heidrick & Struggles

Key points for Saudi women: 

• It makes economic sense to improve the situation of women in regards to health, education, and employment. 
• Why applying a quota for employing women is sometimes necessary. 
• The importance of female role-models and examples of female leadership.
• The role of major Arab companies in aiding women to develop their professional skills. They need to hire, promote, and mentor women until they have the right qualifications. 
• There needs to be a focus from the CEO's, boards, and chairmen of companies to put pressure on the middle-management and be responsible for ensuring that women are being hired and promoted.  
• Women should not be distracted by things that will take away from what they are trying to accomplish. 

Increasing Unemployment Rate for Saudi Women

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Originally posted on May 12, 2013

The Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI) of Saudi Arabia has just published quarterly unemployment indicators for 2012. There is some good news as well as bad in the new figures.The indicators trace movement of unemployment rates during 2012, quarter by quarter.

It is especially surprising that unemployment rates changed during 2012 in markedly different directions between the four groups (Saudi men and women; non-Saudi men and women). While unemployment rates for Saudi men moved slightly downwards between the first and fourth quarters, they declined dramatically for non-Saudi men and non-Saudi women.

However, for Saudi women, unemployment rates continued their upward climb from previous years.

For Saudi men, unemployment declined from (6.9) percent in the first quarter of 2012 to (6) percent in the fourth quarter, or a (13) percent decline, thus reversing a decade-long trend of rising unemployment among Saudi males.

The only losers among the four groups were Saudi women. Their unemployment rate was already extremely high in the first quarter (34 percent), but it went up to nearly (36) percent in the fourth quarter, increasing by nearly five percent in that interval. Unemployment among Saudi women has been on the rise for some time. In 1999, their rate of unemployment stood at (16) percent. It has since steadily climbed to reach (36) percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

In other countries, such high rates of unemployment are associated with economic decline or deep recessions, but as the economy grows unemployment rates usually decline for all social groups, regardless of gender or national origin, even when there are differentials in their unemployment rates. However, that is not the case in Saudi Arabia, where the economy has been booming and new jobs are created daily, but unemployment rates keep rising as well. In 1999, when unemployment for Saudi women was at (16) percent, gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at only (143) billion dollars. However, by 2012, GDP had risen by (410) percent, to (727) billion dollars. Yet, despite this five-fold increase in GDP over that period, unemployment for women more than doubled, reaching (36) percent in 2012.

CDSI figures reveal that the total number of Saudi women working outside the house increased during 2012, but only slightly. In 2011, there were (604) thousand women employed, increasing during 2012 by (43) thousand to reach (647) thousand in the last quarter of 2012. The number of employed Saudi women has risen by (300) thousand since 1999, when the number of employed women was only (347) thousand. However, the number of Saudi women employed now (647,000) represents only ten percent of Saudi women in working age.

This low rate of employment for Saudi women is quite low by international standards, where the rate of employment for women reaches an average of (57) percent in industrialized countries.

Published on Arabnews.com by Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg.