Saudi King issues new law on women's guardianship

According to a royal degree issued by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, women are not required to obtain consent from their guardians for services provided to them, unless there is a legal basis for this request in accordance with the provisions of the Islamic Shariah.

The decree was shared in a royal directive to all concerned government agencies, after approval of proposals raised by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to resolve issues related to human rights.

"This (male guardianship) has always been an obstacle to women and demeaning because unfortunately some guardians abused their authority over women and took advantage," Arab News quoted Maha Akeel, director of the public information and communication for the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

She further added that it finally recognizes the right of a woman to be her own guardian and take care of her official matters without the need for the approval of the guardian.

The order, however, does not state the circumstances under which a woman should or shouldn't obtain the consent of her guardian for services provided to her.

Saudi Arabia, has in the past five years, been appointing more women in a decision-making position. Increasing the participation of women in the workforce from 22 per cent to 30 per cent is part of the Saudi Vision 2030.

Three months ago, three women - Sarah Al-Suhaimi, Rania Nashar and Latifa Al-Shabhan - were appointed in the male-dominant financial sector to the positions of the chair of the Saudi stock exchange, Tadawul, CEO of Samba Financial Group and chief financial officer of Arab National Bank (ANB), respectively.

Increasing the participation of women in the workforce from 22 percent to 30 percent is one of the main goals in Saudi Vision 2030.