Now Reading: From Kerala to the Kingdom: The untold stories of women breaking stereotypes in Saudi Arabia | World News
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From Kerala to the Kingdom: The untold stories of women breaking stereotypes in Saudi Arabia | World News
From Kerala to the Kingdom: The untold stories of women breaking stereotypes in Saudi Arabia | World News
Women in Saudi Arabia are redefining their roles, advancing in healthcare, training, and entrepreneurship below Vision 2030 reforms/Representative Image
TL;DR:
- 2.6 million Indians contribute considerably to
Saudi Arabia ’s economic system. Female Workforce participation up from ~23% to ~35–36%, with rising management and SME possession.
- Persisting hurdles reminiscent of Saudization, authorized friction, and cultural biases nonetheless restrict full expat feminine participation.
Expanding Indian Presence in the Kingdom
- Indian expat inhabitants: As per the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA 2024), 2.59 million Indians dwell in Saudi Arabia, making them the largest expatriate group.
- Expat composition: The General Authority for Statistics Saudi Arabia (GASTAT) additionally confirms that expats account for 44.4% of the Kingdom’s whole inhabitants of round 38 million in 2024..
- Labour power actuality: Migrants account for 56.5% of whole employment, and remarkably, 89% of private-sector jobs are stuffed by non-Saudis.
India-born staff dominate key sectors: building, healthcare, retail, hospitality, and now more and more know-how and training.
Vision 2030 & Women’s Workforce Trailblazing
- Female labour power leap: As per GASTAT, Saudi women’s workforce participation surged from 23.2% in 2016 to ~34–36% by 2022–2024, exceeding Vision 2030’s 30% goal.
- Leadership & entrepreneurship: Over 78,000 women maintain senior administration roles (Q3 2024), 551,318 companies registered in 2023 by women, and almost 450,000 freelance permits issued.
- Anti-discrimination and autonomy: Women gained equal pay legal guidelines, the means to drive (2017), safety in opposition to harassment, and the proper to journey, entry credit score, and personal companies with out male guardianship.
Reforming the System: Tools Empowering Expats
Saudi has launched strong labour packages tailor-made for expats, benefitting women considerably:
- Musaned (2014): A digital, standardised contract system carried out through licensed businesses ensures transparency, readability in wages, and a channel to file grievances.
- Qiwa & Labour Reform Initiative (2021): These platforms enhance employer-employee relations, implement contracts, facilitate mobility, and make medical insurance and heat-safety necessary.
- Bilateral labour agreements: Bilateral agreements reminiscent of India-Saudi collaboration allows information-sharing and investigation of labor practices, lowering mismatches and exploitation .
Human Stories in the Spotlight
Manju Manikuttan (Kerala → Al Khobar)
Manju Manikuttan receiving the Nari Shakti Puruskar/Image: Wikipedia
- Profile: Moved to Saudi in 2011 as a beautician; now a celebrated social employee by Navayugam.
- Impact: Took over the women’s deportation centre after mentor’s demise. Rescued lots of of Indian women staff misled into home jobs in precarious conditions.
- Recognition: In 2019, she grew to become the solely non-resident lady awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar by President Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- Notable rescue: Helped “Chandrika,” an accountant duped into home work, till her secure return to India.
- Legacy: Officially authorised by Indian embassy and supported by Saudi authorities at Dammam’s deportation centre which illustrates her deep-rooted credibility.
Nouf al‑Marwaai (Saudi → Indian-recognised visionary)
Nouf Al Marwaai receiving the Padma Shri in 2018/Image: X
- Profile: Saudi nationwide who based the Arab Yoga Foundation in 2010. Pioneered mainstream acceptance of yoga in KSA .
- Impact: Certified 700+ instructors and educated over 10,000 practitioners by 2019 .
- Honour: Became the first Saudi lady to obtain India’s Padma Shri in 2018 for cross-cultural wellness contributions.
- Significance: Her journey highlights the rising acceptance of female-led initiatives and cultural bridges in Saudi Arabia.
Emerging Opportunities for Women Expats
Indian women at the moment are getting into numerous, significant roles:
- Beyond home labour: Expansion into hospitality, healthcare, finance, training, IT, and STEM fields.
- Growth sectors in 2025: Renewable vitality, digital transformation, healthcare growth, tourism (NEOM, giga-projects), FinTech, building, and training are hotspots.
- Protection & assist: Women-only transit, childcare, necessary medical insurance, summer-hour guidelines, and anti-harassment legal guidelines guarantee a safer setting.
Challenges: Navigating Gaps & Headwinds
Despite progress, obstacles persist:
- Saudization: Preference for Saudi nationals in non-public sector hiring limits expat entry, impacting expert expat women in IT and company roles.
- Gender & nationality bias: Reddit voices echo that expat women face harder competitors for company roles as Saudis are prioritised .
- Legal frameworks vs execution: World Bank highlights that although authorized reforms are strong (rating 50/100), implementation mechanisms like childcare, parental depart, and monetary inclusion want strengthening.
- Continued discrimination & unequal networks: Expats nonetheless battle with bias, decrease salaries, or fewer promotion probabilities in contrast to locals .
What Lies Ahead:
- Regulated security nets: Platforms like Musaned and Qiwa, and embassy-backed advocates like Manju provide concrete safety and recourse.
- Diverse profession paths: Women can construct careers in new sectors; STEM gigs, digital well being, training roles, hospitality, entrepreneurship, and wellness (e.g., yoga studios).
- Inspiration & function: Stories of women like Manju exhibits expat women can lead, innovate, and acquire recognition.
- Alignment with mega-programs: Saudi’s financial diversification means demand for expert feminine expertise is rising particularly in giga-projects and tech ventures.
- Supportive ecosystem: Infrastructure (women-only transport, childcare), authorized protections, and bilateral agreements are in place, although bridging gaps stays essential.
