SDG5: GENDER EQUALITY

Introduction

Gender equality is one of the key challenges facing society today. Across the world, it manifests in many forms, including pay, employment opportunities and access to education.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture has reached a new gender balance of 50 percent in the workplace with many female employees holding top positions.

Furthermore, Vision 2030 sought to “empower everyone, men and women. I am lucky to live in these supportive, inspiring and motivational circumstances, with men and women of my generation.”

Over the past two years, the ministry has been exploring new ways to empower Saudi women, not only by offering employment opportunities but also by providing skill development and professional training and ensuring equal opportunities without gender bias.

Since the launch of Vision 2030, women’s overall presence in the workplace has increased by 35 percent in the Kingdom with a 38 percent rise in the public sector and a 32 percent increase in private-sector jobs.

Qassim university is committed to gender equality among staff and students. This includes implementing policies that support well-being, such as the Student Pregnancy and Maternity Policy and the Trans Student Policy, creating a gender-based violence working group and taking part in Smart Stems to encourage women into STEM subjects.

Qassim university believes that the ways that the university applies equal opportunity across all levels of their workforces impacts the way that thousands of employees develop expectations of equal treatment and translate their experience to the outside world. QU also have a significant role to play as public advocates for social change, and gender equality is an area where universities would do well to develop a higher profile in advocating for change.

Diversity and inclusion strategies and policies are now standard components of Qassim university governance, and it have at least one senior staff member devoted to embedding diversity and inclusion in the life of the institution. QU starts to develop gender equality strategies, paying closer attention to the numbers of women in senior leadership roles, particularly in the academic workforce where the proportion of professors who are women is, on average, less than one third.