There is nothing permanent in governance. Policy decisions last for as long as the circumstances that influenced them persist. Besides, the world is changing in many ways. Political, social and economic groundswell that buoy up government policies cannot avoid being in a flux.
That appears to be the situation in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the custodian of the Islamic faith. We hear that women in Saudi Arabia can now enlist in the army as the kingdom continues to enact reforms granting females more access to a wide range of previously forbidden careers. Women are now able to apply for positions with the rank of soldier in the provinces of Riyadh, Mecca, al-Qassim and Medina.
But as the telecoms outfits in Africa would say, terms and conditions apply. The female applicants must be Saudi citizens and aged between 25 and 35 with a high school diploma. Under Saudi Arabia’s guardianship system, such females eager to join the army must be resident in the same provinces as the job’s location with their male guardians, usually husband, father, brother or son.
The recruitment of female soldiers is part of the reforms enhancing women’s rights introduced recently in the kingdom. The country announced its plan to allow women to drive from June, and ride-hailing apps are getting prepared to hire female drivers.
But the one that has thousands of youths cheering concerns football, a fancy that has really caught on in the Islamic enclave. Saudi women can now attend football matches. Those who are enterprising can open their own businesses without the consent of their male relatives.
Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor’s office said this month it would also begin recruiting women investigators for the first time. The kingdom has also opened 140 positions for women at airports and border crossings, a historic first that the government said drew 107,000 female applicants.
However, human rights activists are not cheering. Why? They are worried that the authorities have not done enough to abolish Saudi’s male guardianship system. They say the reforms are largely cosmetic.
