“A large number of foreign workers in retail and office administration activities left Saudi Arabia abruptly as a result of the pandemic and suddenly thousands of job vacancies became available. These jobs did not pay high enough salaries to attract educated Saudi men but many women (especially lower-class, non-university educated women) found the salary feasible. One interviewee describes seeing women work at supermarkets as a standard and common practice when it had not been so before. In a short span of time, a large number of Saudi women filled these vacancies.”

-Lydia Begag and Nader Habibi assess the impact of Saudi Arabia’s gender inequality reforms over the last five years. [International Policy Digest]