In an attempt to empower women and become a more inclusive kingdom, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced his Vision 2030 initiative. As part of the initiative, the Saudi Ministry of Defence announced that women could now join the kingdom’s military and armed forces. According to reports by Gulf News, women could now sign up to be part of the Saudi Arabian Army, Royal Saudi Navy, Royal Saudi Air Defence, Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force, and Armed Forces Medical Services.
This move comes as a step towards women empowerment, enabling women to take up jobs that were previously limited to men. For example, women can now wait tables in restaurants, or become cashiers in shopping malls, among others opportunities.
The largest economy of the Arab world had first announced that women could be part of the military in 2019, the same year the kingdom announced that women were free to leave the country without the consent of a male family member.
The Saudi Ministry of Defence declared that men and women could apply for positions in the military through their unified admission portal. Moreover, it was announced that women would be recruited as soldiers, corporals, lance corporals, sergeants, and staff sergeants. To be eligible for recruitment, applicants must be between ages 21 to 40. Additionally, a woman had to be a minimum of 155 centimetres in height. They would also require to clear the admission procedures, be medically-fit for service, and have a clean record. They would also require to hold an independent national identity card, have a high school education at minimum, and cannot be married to a non-Saudi.
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