Abstract

Empowering women is a core goal of Vision 2030 which many programs, legislations, and initiatives have been put in place to achieve. Under the light of the three dimensions of Women Empowerment Theory: resources, achievements, and agency, Legislation is recognized as the primary resource of empowerment. This study aims to reveal the efficiency of the resources and achievements made by Saudi women. It also aims to identify the obstacles facing the efficiency of legislation. The study used the social survey method with a questionnaire taken by a sample of 400 women. The study found that the empowerment decisions with the most impact on the respondents' lives were the lift of the driving ban, opening new fields for women's work, and altering civil status laws. More than 70% of the participants agreed that the major achievement of these legislations is empowering women as fully supported civilians and enhancing the quality of life for women and their families. While the main obstacles to the efficiency of empowerment resources are the unawareness of some of the empowerment legislation or the lack of knowledge of the mechanisms to access them, and the resistance of some community and family members to initiate some legislation.

Keywords

Sociology of Women, Women Work, Women Driving, Guardianship law, Family law.

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