MUST-READS

• The presence of women in Saudi press conferences

  The overall results show that the recent empowerment of Saudi women has led to an increase in their participation, rising from complete absence to nearly 14% of the questions asked. This shift may also encourage journalists to broaden their focus from women’s issues to other pressing topics of greater public interest. However, while female participation in the Saudi workforce has risen from 17% to 36%, their involvement in press conferences remains underrepresented. This suggests that certain areas of the workplace may require more time to advance, potentially through further training and education.

• Women Driving in Saudi Arabia: Female Perceptions Five Years after Lifting of the Ban

  Survey findings suggest most women agree that there has been vast improvement, but they insist that the battle for equality is far from over. Indeed, there has been some resistance to the reforms among those who see the changes as pandering to the West. Overall, though, the survey findings suggest that the majority of women in Saudi Arabia want more rights, more women in leadership roles, more safety that they do not feel they have under the male guardianship system, and to be viewed as equal to their male counterparts.

• History-making Saudi women’s 3×3 basketball champs out to inspire more girls to play

  On a balmy Sunday afternoon in Manama earlier this month, Kawther ‘Koko’ Khayyat (the basketball coach), Jana Salem Balgaith (the student) and Abeer Alhamidi (the Ministry of Sport manager), along with team-mate Riman Abdulaziz, helped Team Riyadh claim Saudi Arabia’s first ever major 3x3 title. On a balmy Sunday afternoon in Manama earlier this month, Kawther ‘Koko’ Khayyat (the basketball coach), Jana Salem Balgaith (the student) and Abeer Alhamidi (the Ministry of Sport manager), along with team-mate Riman Abdulaziz, helped Team Riyadh claim Saudi Arabia’s first ever major 3x3 title.

• The Women Behind adidas’ first Women’s Concept Store in Saudi Arabia 

  This project was led by 22 adidas women across different functions and locations, representing 11 nationalities, who all brought a diversity of thought and perspective to the project team.  “As an adidas employee and proud Saudi woman, working on this project was very meaningful. It was an opportunity to tell our own story and shape the narrative on what it means to be a Saudi woman. We’re multifaceted, and this store represents that. Whether you’re a football player or a fashionista, whether you prefer a modest clothing design or not, the product collection found in this store meets all those needs.” Said Nojoud Radwan, Senior Brand Director for Saudi Arabia and Women’s Concept Store Project Team member.

• ‘Change the Game’: Saudi Arabia Takes a Stride Into Women’s Tennis

  Moving into tennis, Saudi Arabia recently hosted the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition showcasing the top men’s players. And it struck a three-year deal with the financially struggling WTA to bring its finals to Riyadh in part with the promise of awarding some $15 million in prize money this year. Those are the highest winnings in the history of women’s tennis, satisfying players’ demands for prize parity with men. “The Western world can keep reporting that our country is sportswashing, or whatever, but what matters is that my sisters and I can watch our favorite sports stars right here at home,” said Maryam al-Shammeri, who was in the crowd for the WTA final on Saturday night with her brother and two sisters.

• Saudi women rise: W20 to ‘address systemic barriers’

  A beacon of advocacy and action, the Saudi delegation for Women 20, or W20, is led by Miznah Al-Omair, CEO of Al-Nahda Society, which was founded in 1963 to empower women in Saudi Arabia. In an interview with Arab News, Al-Omair emphasized the importance of including women’s issues in G20 dialogues: “The role of women must be considered in decision-making processes, as these decisions impact women’s economic realities.” This perspective underscores the need for a platform that prioritizes women’s voices in global economic policy discussions.

• Saudi women at work: progress and obstacles

  The Kingdom’s women workforce is expanding in unprecedented ways. According to the Ministry of Finance, female labor participation has reached 35%—well above the original Vision 2030 target of 30%. This marks a stark economic shift. Yet, despite this progress, deep-rooted structural barriers and societal resistance persist. Female inclusion is still largely concentrated in caregiving and education—sectors prioritized by nationalization policies—which restricts their wider economic involvement. Going forward, the key question is whether Saudi Arabia can overcome these social hurdles while sustaining its rapid economic momentum.

• Saudi Arabia Demanded WWE Add More Women To Show

  We love this partnership here. This all stems from His Excellency’s vision to bring the best entertainment from around the world. You know, when we first started here, I think fans were excited, but they didn’t know what to necessarily expect. And over that time, I’ve seen that change exponentially. We had the first women’s match here in Saudi Arabia. It went from us asking, “Can we bring women here” to them being on billboards all over the city, to the GEA [General Entertainment Authority] and His Excellency calling us and saying, “I don’t feel like there’s enough women on this show. Can we have more women put into the show?”

• Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is transforming women’s lives, says Princess Reema
  Speaking at the HERizon Summit, held alongside the eighth Future Investment Initiative, she emphasized that the right policies are crucial for accelerating women’s progress in business and entrepreneurship. The event, themed “Invest in Women,” aims to bridge the gender gap and empower women in the global workforce. A recent report by the World Bank confirmed Saudi Arabia’s progress in gender parity, noting a substantial increase in female labor participation from 22% in 2016 to 34% in 2023.

• Is FIFA’s sponsorship deal with a Saudi-owned oil giant really ‘a middle finger’ to women’s soccer?

  It is easy to claim, as many have done, that this is purely an exercise in sportswashing. But that ignores that soccer is also helping to facilitate a fast-moving cultural shift in Saudi Arabia, and the region more broadly, while being careful not to attract the attention of some of the ultra-conservative religious leaders who remain committed to the region’s more traditional ways. One of the teams in the Saudi Women’s Premier League is the Eastern Flames. It was originally established in 2006 with players from the Aramco  community. Despite significant hurdles for women to play sport at all, the team survived and flourished and has been elevated into the professional league.

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