Blog 12 Saudi Arabia struggles to employ its most-educated women

            The Saudi Arabian government is funding a new generation of women. Theses women are becoming caught between the government that is investing billions of dollars in education for them and not being able to find employment. Some of the women have even been sent to colleges in the United States to pursuer higher education but they return to their home country to find no jobs.  Also the women are up against a society that is deeply conservative in religious ideas and resist women in the workplace. Unemployment among women in Saudi Arabia who want to work has raised to 34 percent, which is 5 to 7 times higher then the rate of men.  The population of young women with college education has increased but the job market has not grown to meet the needs of this population. King Abdullah has implemented massive spending to create more jobs for women. Under pressure Abdullah has begun to be an advocate of women’s education and employment.

            In our readings this week it has been discussed how there are various forms of inequality in educational systems around the world.  Around the world there is still a persistent gender gap and by region in education. Though the women are becoming more educated in Saudi Arabia they are increasingly finding it harder to find employment. As a result of lack of jobs but also strong conservative beliefs held by the general population of women in the workforce, they have found a hard time of seeking employment.  Our textbook says that societies have many inequaitities in their institutions but educational inequality perpetuates all others.  In a society and culture that still holds conservative ideas about women, they are beginning to make great strides in the progress of educating women.  Higher education for women in Saudi Arabia has been increasing as a result has seen the number of Universities double in numbers.  It now holds the world’s largest women-only college that has 37,000 students.  Around the world there are gender gaps in education as well as in the workforce.  Providing higher education to woman will help to close some of the gaps that women face. Seeing the gaps close some in conservative countries help to provide an example of how to work on closing those gaps.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/saudi-arabia-struggles-to-employ-its-most-educated-women/2012/11/12/b8f30c34-2a87-11e2-96b6-8e6a7524553f_story.html