JEDDAH — As the government takes up the cudgels for their rights, Saudi women have cracked the glass ceiling wide open and when there are no ceilings, the sky is the limit." Making the most of the official support, Saudi women have taken up leading positions of late in public as well as private sectors and on Tuesday another woman, Shuruq Al-Jadaan, joined the list. The appointment of Al-Jadaan as the new deputy director of alimony affairs at the Ministry of Justice marked another milestone. Thanking Saudi Justice Minister and Chairman of Alimony Fund Waleed Al-Sama'ani, Al-Jadaan expressing her appreciation for the trust and efforts by the ministry to empower women at various judicial sectors. The fund aims to provide financial stability to families through prompt disbursement of maintenance whether permanent or temporary. It has made several achievements, including prompt response to requests and effective interaction with beneficiaries. Over the last couple of years, the government of Saudi Arabia has announced a raft of reforms and initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life of both Saudis and expatriates over the recent years. Saudi women are the major beneficiaries of these reforms that have focused on strengthening their role in the national development, which has had a positive impact on their lives in a short span of less than two years. There has been a tremendous response from young Saudi women to take up jobs at the Ministry of Justice. There are 220 women working at the ministry after they were allowed to work in this vital sector in 2018 and creation of a separate department for women at the ministry last October. As many as 57 women got license to undertake attestation services, issuance and cancellation of power of attorney and other notary services. There has been a 240 percent increase in the number of licensed women lawyers. There are 418 female lawyers, in addition to 3,140 trainee lawyers.
