Saudi Arabia Allows Women To Join The Nation's Military In Multiple Roles

In a major development, the women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) can now be employed in the nation's military establishment for several roles like soldiers, lance corporals, corporals, sergeants and staff sergeants, reports Economic Times.

First announced in 2019, the plan to allow women to serve the nation's military mandates that other than usual weight and height criteria, the female applicants would need to have had at least a high school education. Also, the applicants married to foreigners would continue to be barred.

Before this, last year, KSA's Minister of Justice had also appointed 100 women as public notaries. In bygone January it was said that the KSA would soon begin to appoint women as court judges.

The developments gain significance as until the recent changes, women in KSA had limited options when looking for work. The move comes as a part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to transform the Arab world’s largest economy.

In 2019, KSA also allowed women to leave the country without permission from a male relative, a major step toward ending a restrictive guardianship system.