WOMEN MAKING STRIDES IN THE ASIR REGION

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 001904

SIPDIS

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2015
TAGS: PGOV KWMN SOCI
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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