The question of women involvement in the labor sector is still a hot topic in Middle East countries as the number of women represented in the human capital is evident below the standard rates. According to statistics, KSA still lags behind regarding women employment their participation in the labor industry. Women are employed at approximately 13% (Jamjoom & Kelly, 2013). There is the necessity for the country to tap the potential of the women and include them into the labor as part of the future strategic focus on exploiting the untapped potential of the women. The issue of representation of women in the human capital remains the greatest HRM challenge as women empowerment is often under the check of traditional beliefs and culture that rendered women subjects of domestic chores. However, the future of women employment seems bright with the number of female graduates amounting to over 50% (Doumato, 2011). There are huge efforts put by Saudi Arabia to empower women as they diversify the labor markets to accommodate other human capital factors rather than being solely dependent on oil as the only economic driver.
Female-male ratio is a critical KPI in human resource and thus the government has to formulate amendments and laws to push for equity and balanced representation of all genders in the labor market. The ratio indicates the low involvement of women in the industrial sector. However, the government has put enough efforts in place to ensure that women employment and participation is enhanced in public and private sectors (Doumato, 2011). The critical decisions will enable women to have their fair share of contribution towards building the nation. It is important to put emphasis on tapping the human capital and using the strengths towards building society. The working environment has been inappropriate and does not favor women involvement thus leading to the disproportionate women representation in the workforce (Ramady, 2010). Additionally, the customs of the nation take an enormous share of the blame for its role in making it difficult to incorporate women in the labor force. The growing lives challenges have made women look for avenues to support their families and as a result, seek employment as a way to inject additional penny into the family basket. As more women get the urge to get involved in the workforce, many also continue to pursue education as a social empowerment.
The motivation to provide for the family and ease the burden of men makes it easy for women to conform to the growing social trend that had never been in existence before. The social challenges of the labor market such as sexual harassment have been one of the biggest impediments towards achieving equitable participation of women in the workforce (Alharbi, 2014). Therefore, the government must create laws that discourage such acts of discrimination. Despite traditional discriminative approaches and intolerance towards women, Saudi Arabia is a much-changed place. Statistics indicate that between 2010 and 2012, women formed 64% of all graduates from colleges (Jamjoom & Kelly, 2013). It is thus important to note that further involvement of women in the workforce is imminent, and the future can only be better. However, UAE has made huge advancements towards ensuring equity between women and men in the labor force by creating laws that subject women and men equal salary when they are employed for the same task. It has been considered the turning point to women involvement in the nation-building in a nation that traditionally did not empower women. The creation of the labor law has encouraged many women to seek employment.
References
Alharbi, F. (2014). The Development of Curriculum for Girls in Saudi Arabia. Creative Education CE, 05(24), 2021-2026. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
Doumato, E. A. (2011). Women in Saudi Arabia Between Breadwinner and Domestic Icon? Women and Power in the Middle East. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
Jamjoom, F. B., & Kelly, P. (2013). Higher Education for Women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Higher Education Dynamics Higher Education in Saudi Arabia, 117-125.
Ramady, M. A. (2010). Saudi Arabia and the WTO. The Saudi Arabian Economy, 289-320.
