Arab women kept out of business

Middle Eastern women own just 14% of business establishments in the region, despite a recent boost in female commercial participation, an Arab business leader said.

Speaking at a Women's Economic Forumin in Dammam, Sheikha Hessa bint Sa'ad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, chairman of the Arab Council of Businesswomen, compared the Arab figures to the US and Europe, where women owned up to 30% of all businesses.

Although figures were low, there has been an increase in the number of Saudi women securing commercial registration, UAE daily Gulf News reported on Monday.

“The number of commercial registrations in the name of Saudi women reached about 43,000, which represents 20% of commercial registrations issued in the kingdom,” Sheikha Hessa said, quoted the newspaper.

Sheikha Hessa compared the Saudi situation to the UAE where there are over 9,000 businesswomen, with women accounting for 18% of the Emirates’ private sector.

Hind Al Zahid, director of the businesswomen's centre of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that Saudi women make up only 13.5% of the 7.7 million Saudi workforce despite holding 35% of the kingdom’s bank accounts.

Only 565,000 of the kingdom's 8.4 million female population is currently employed, Al Zahid said.

The Women’s Economic Forum follows a National Dialogue Forum in Buraidah last week, during which a member of Saudi's Shura Council told delegates a woman’s duty is to be at home, bringing up children.

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“We have to understand that the basic duty of women is at home and bringing up children,” said Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan.

Sheikh Abdul said that although women should stay at home it was not against Islamic law, which the conservative Muslim kingdom follows strictly.

Sheikh Abdul was speaking at the two-day during which delegates called for the creation of more employment opportunities for Saudi women.