For a long time, the Saudi women population remained an unutilized and unconsidered human resource. However, if this human resource can get incorporated into nation-building, it can be pivotal to Saudi’s economic development. Traditionally, these women face various barriers that limit their economic potential in accelerating, substantively, Saudi Arabia’s economy. These barriers include family’s domestic obligations, place, nature of work, cultural norms, unfavorable working conditions, lack of awareness, vocational and technical training.

However, currently, Saudi Arabia’s government is aggressively and gradually eliminating these barriers that barred women from engaging in wealth creation and the nation’s economic building. Today’s Saudi Arabia is currently giving women more freedom, just like the male counterparts, all around the economic and political platforms. The Saudi Arabian government is recognizing women’s economic development roles by giving them special attention in the economic sphere. The nation seeks to improve the women population’s productivity and skills, which presents enough ransom to foreign dependency. The following are some of the various ways in which Saudi women can enhance trade.

The country can major in implementing historic reforms that promote women in economic participation. For instance, the measures allowing and giving women the freedom of movement and travel. The legislation also plays well in aborting the discrimination of women at the workplace. Saudi women will, therefore, hold even senior managerial positions in new sectors in which they were initially prohibited. Women can move to other countries in such work or conduct trade. Thus, women’s mobility freedom can help enlarge and boost business and economy at large for Saudi Arabia and the international world.

Saudi women and investment: Saudi women having being given the right to own and conduct a business, can own billions of funds in Saudi’s financial institutions. This change of policy will boost monetary circulation and cause mushrooming of many companies. The availability of finances automatically calls for investments and the smooth running of economies and trade. It also means, many participators of the economy, like these financial and related institutions, will trade more since women will be the additional players and catalyst of trade. These women will boost the demand and supply of all economic factors in both national and international markets. The freedom to conduct business and invest is a huge plus to the national and international trade and economy at large.

Saudi Women and politics: The introduction of women into the nation’s civic life and politics prompts the release of a pool of talent and wealth that will eventually promote the domestic economy, reduce unnecessary social segregation costs, empower competition, aid in fostering democratic institutions, and enrich civic development and culture. That will thereby weaken and cut off the extreme economic influences in Saudi Arabia. Empowered women promote democratic reforms and moral imperative that hew the path for progress, equality, and tolerance to the economy. All these benefits will give a hand for a conducive trade and business environment that the internal and international economic communities require. Empowering Saudi women through the political path reckons opening up of many businesses and trade that were initially restrained and muzzled by harsh policies against the Saudi women.

‪— Azhar Ali Gawarir is a PhD Researcher at the University of Brighton in the UK. She can be reached at: ‪Azharalim@hotmail.com Twitter: @AzharA15