Tamadur bint Youssef al-Ramah has a new ground-breaking role after a political and military reshuffle.
It’s been a year of great change in Saudi Arabia, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
In a year when the kingdom will start hiring women for ‘soldier’ positions, will grant driving licences to women, and is opening up cinemas, one woman has got an important new role.
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Dr Tamadur bint Youssef Al Ramah was made Deputy Minister of labour and social development as part of a reshuffle announced on Monday evening by King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
Al Ramah is the first woman to hold the post, The National reports, though the first woman to be appointed a deputy minister in Saudi’s cabinet was Norah bint Abdallah Al Faiz, who became deputy minister of education in charge of women’s affairs in 2009.
#أمر_ملكي : تعيين الدكتورة تماضر بنت يوسف الرماح نائباً لوزير العمل والتنمية الاجتماعية “للتنمية الاجتماعية” بالمرتبة الممتازة. #واس
— واس (@spagov) February 26, 2018
The major political and military shake-up also saw First Lieutenant General Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwayli become the new chief of staff, as well as the appointment of several new deputy ministers and deputy governors.
The move was an effort to “pump young blood” into local government, according to a TV interview with analyst Ahmed al-Towayan, Reuters reports.
The kingdom has seen many changes since the promotion of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last year.
The 32-year-old royal has spearheaded Vision 2030, Saudi’s ambitious post-oil economic plan which aims to make the country a more modern, tourist-friendly destination.
Last September, a royal decree revealed women will be able to secure driving licences from June 2018, with the news widely celebrated around the globe.
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As part of the initiative, the government also aims to increase the percentage of women in the nation’s workforce from 23 per cent to 28 per cent by 2020.
Additionally, more Saudi females have been appointed to top jobs, a royal directive allowed women to use certain government services without a male guardian’s consent, and recent approval was issued for the go-ahead of women’s gyms.
Images: Getty
