Saudi women can join the army in the latest extension of rights

Saudi army officers pass F-15 fighter jets, GBU bombs and missiles displayed during a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the King Faisal Air Academy at King Salman Air Force Base in Riyadh on January 25, 2017.

Photographer: Fayez Nureldine / AFP / Getty Images

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Saudi women can now take up arms and join the army, the latest open profession in the kingdom up to female recruits.

Women in Saudi Arabia can be hired as soldiers, corporal spears, corporals, sergeants and staff sergeants, according to Arab News in Saudi Arabia.

Jobs have gradually opened up for Saudi women, whose increased participation in the workforce is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to transform the world’s largest Arab economy. It is now common to see Saudi women working as cashiers in shopping malls and occupying roles that were previously limited to men, such as waiting tables in restaurants and making cappuccino in cafes.

The first International Air Show in Saudi Arabia

Two Saudi Royal Air Force F-15 military aircraft perform an aerial display at the Saudi Air Show at Al Thumamah Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, March 12, 2019.

The expansion of roles and rights in the workplace came even as women activists were targeted in a crackdown on dissent.

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The plan to allow women to join the army was first announced in 2019, the same year the kingdom said it would allow women to leave the country without the permission of a male relative, a major step towards ending a restrictive system of guardianship that has been heavily criticized at home and abroad.

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