Good practice

Reformas del Mercado Laboral Femenino en el Marco de la Visión 2030 de Arabia Saudita

Saudi Arabia · Riyadh · See the Saudi Arabia profile

Las reformas de la Visión 2030 elevaron la participación laboral femenina del 17% (2017) al 36,2% (T3 2024), superando la meta del 30%. Medidas: fin de la prohibición de conducir, ley anti-acoso, reforma de la tutela masculina, baja de maternidad de 12 semanas pagadas.

17 %

Participación laboral femenina (2017)

36.2 %

Participación laboral femenina (Q3 2024)

43.8 %

Mujeres en alta y media dirección (2024)

Reformas del Mercado Laboral Femenino en el Marco de la Visión 2030 de Arabia Saudita

Details

Maturity: Scaling
Promoter: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD)
Period: 2016–2030
Keywords: government, labour policy, women's empowerment

Context

La agenda Vision 2030 de Arabia Saudí, lanzada en 2016, fijó el objetivo de aumentar la participación laboral femenina del 17% al 30% para 2030, perseguido a través de reformas que incluyen el levantamiento de la prohibición de conducir (2018), una ley contra el acoso sexual, el desmantelamiento progresivo del sistema de tutela masculina, y un permiso de maternidad de 12 semanas totalmente remunerado.

Results

La participación laboral femenina registrada por GASTAT alcanzó el 36.2% en el tercer trimestre de 2024, superando el objetivo original en más de seis puntos; el desempleo femenino descendió hasta un mínimo histórico del 10.5% en el primer trimestre de 2025; la presencia de mujeres en la alta y media dirección aumentó del 28.6% (2017) al 43.8% (2024); las mujeres son ahora propietarias de aproximadamente el 45% de las PYME.

Conclusions

Persisten una brecha salarial de género y una adopción cultural desigual entre regiones; la puntuación de Arabia Saudí en el índice Women, Business and the Law 2024 es de 50/100 frente a una media mundial de 64.2, lo que indica que aún existen brechas estructurales.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

C-NAPSE web research — accessed 2026-06-23
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) — accessed 2026-06-23
GASTAT: Saudi female LFP bulletin — accessed 2026-06-23
HRSD Women's Empowerment portal — accessed 2026-06-23
Atlantic Council analysis of Vision 2030 gender outcomes — accessed 2026-06-23
IntechOpen peer-reviewed chapter: Saudi Women and Vision 2030 — accessed 2026-06-23
World Bank female LFP data (ILO modelled) — accessed 2026-06-23

Attachments

Source image

Quality score: 85/100

How is this calculated?

Evidence: Observational / pre–post

Top 22% in this catalogue (719 scored practices)

Scores cluster high, so position within the catalogue is often more telling than the number alone.

Evaluation

Evaluated by C-NAPSE

Score profile — the dimensions behind the score — how it's computed

Transferability / replicability2/3

Reform elements (anti-harassment law, guardianship reform, flexible work) have influenced GCC peers but the top-down monarchical model limits direct replication.

Impact on gender equality1/1

GASTAT-confirmed doubling of female LFP from 17% (2017) to 36.2% (Q3 2024) represents an independently verified and unambiguous structural shift.

Effectiveness1/1

The Vision 2030 30% LFP target was exceeded by mid-2021, six years ahead of schedule; the bar has since been raised to 40%.

Efficiency0/1

No independent cost-benefit analysis of the reform bundle has been published; expenditure per percentage-point gain in LFP is not in the public domain.

Evaluated outcomes1/1

GASTAT quarterly labour surveys, World Bank ILO modelled estimates, and HRSD annual reporting provide consistent multi-source outcome tracking.

Sustainability1/1

Reforms are codified in amended national legislation (not executive decree) and form part of the binding Vision 2030 plan through 2030.

Achievement / evidence1/1

Women's unemployment fell to historic low 10.5% (Q1 2025); women in senior/middle management rose from 28.6% to 43.8%; women own 45% of SMEs.

Gender-mainstreaming embedding1/1

Reforms span labour law, civil status, transport, entrepreneurship and security services, coordinated across HRSD, MoI, MoE and the Public Investment Fund.

Curator validation1/1

C-NAPSE verified figures against GASTAT bulletins and HRSD annual data; wage-gap and legal-score gaps are noted as ongoing limitations.

Cite this

Evidoria. Reformas del Mercado Laboral Femenino en el Marco de la Visión 2030 de Arabia Saudita. Persistent ID: db6cff69-b13a-417d-a55b-c38a6632e07f.

Export as decision brief (PDF)

Similar practices you may find useful

★ 96

Singapore White Paper on Women's Development (2022) — Whole-of-Government Gender Equality Action Plan

Singapore

Singapore's 2022 White Paper on Women's Development, grounded in a 2021 national consultation of 6,000+ participants, sets 25 cross-ministry actions …

★ 85

Kenya Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) — Government Credit Facility for Women Entrepreneurs

Kenya

Kenya's Women Enterprise Fund (WEF, 2007) is a government credit facility providing affordable loans to women entrepreneurs. By 2022 it …

★ 100

Ciudad Mujer — El Salvador's Integrated Women's Services Programme

El Salvador

Six centres co-locating 18 state agencies showed in a 2016 IDB RCT that participating women used 43% more public services …

★ 100

Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (2021) — Mandatory Salary Transparency and Pay Equity

United States of America

Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (SB19-085), in force since 1 January 2021, requires all employers to disclose salary …