US embassy cable - 05JEDDAH1904

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 001904 
 
SIPDIS 
 
RIYADH PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN, PARIS FOR ZEYA, LONDON FOR 
GOLDRICH, INR/NESA FOR KIRSCH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KWMN, SOCI, Women in Saudi Arabia 
SUBJECT: WOMEN MAKING STRIDES IN THE ASIR REGION 
 
REF: JEDDAH 842 
 
Classified By: CONSUL GENERAL GINA ABERCROMBIE-WINSTANLEY 
FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY AND COMMENT.  During a June 13-14 visit to 
the Asir Province, Poloffs met with a number of local women 
to discuss women's employment in the Kingdom.  In Asir, women 
have long played a role in the public sphere, working as 
shopkeepers in the local bazaar -- a rare sight in Saudi 
Arabia where genders are typically separated in the 
workplace.  Although most women in the Asir continue to work 
in the traditional fields of education, social work, and 
medicine, the number of women entering the government and 
private sectors is rapidly increasing, indicating a great 
desire by women to join the workforce in both rural and urban 
areas.  END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. 
 
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CIVIL SERVICE MINISTRY FUNCTIONS AS EMPLOYMENT AGENCY 
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2.  (SBU)  During a June 13-14 visit to the Asir Province, 
Poloffs met with local Saudis to discuss the role of women in 
the workforce in Abha and Khamis Mushayt, two cities in 
southwestern Saudi Arabia.  During a meeting, Sa'ad Mohammed 
Abu Melha, General Director of the Ministry of Civil Services 
of the Asir region, said that approximately 100,000 Saudis 
work for the government in Asir whereas over 350,000 are 
employed by the private sector.  In Asir, the Ministry works 
to place male and female Saudi graduates in government jobs 
throughout the Kingdom.  The Ministry itself has men's and 
women's sections, which employ 24 men and 10 women 
respectively. 
 
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LONG WAIT FOR GOVERNMENT JOBS 
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3.  (SBU)  In a separate meeting with employees from the 
women's section of the Ministry, Poloffs discussed the issue 
of female unemployment in the Kingdom.  Acknowledging that 
unemployment is a major problem for women in Asir, the 
Director of the women's section said that, on average, 500 
female graduates per month visit the office seeking 
government employment.  Most women come looking for jobs in 
the more traditional fields of education and health.  Some, 
however, are placed with other ministries, such as the 
Ministry of Defense where they work in security at the 
airport or in other government buildings. 
 
4.  (SBU)  Estimating that 200 to 300 women are placed on a 
waiting list each month, the Director stated that the bar is 
being raised for women to secure employment in the Kingdom. 
In the past, women needed only a high school diploma or 
Bachelor's degree to find a job.  Now, a Master's degree or 
Doctorate is often required to be competitive for government 
jobs.  For that reason, women are willing to move to small 
villages in remote parts of the Kingdom for work.  The 
Director recounted the story of one young graduate from Abha 
who moved her parents and siblings to a small town on the 
border with Iraq to take a job as a primary school teacher. 
The Director said that this woman had put much time and 
effort into her studies, was desperate for a job upon 
graduating, and therefore willing to go anywhere. 
 
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HUNDREDS OF WOMEN REMAIN UNEMPLOYED 
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5.  (SBU)  While the Ministry successfully places hundreds of 
women in teaching or nursing jobs each year, hundreds of 
women in Asir also remain unemployed.  The SAG does not 
promise all college graduates a job with the government and 
therefore, according to the Director, more women are turning 
to the private sector for employment. 
 
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