Saudi Arabia allows women to join border guards

In yet another move to allow women to advance in various fields, Saudi Arabia has announced that it has opened admission and registration for females to join the Border Guards at the rank of private, Arab News reported.

According to the report on Thursday, the interior ministry’s General Department of Central Admission said that applications for admission will be received from Saturday, March 26 until Thursday, March 31, through the jobs section on the Absher portal.

Read more: Saudi Arabia allows women to join military

In February 2021, the Saudi Ministry of Defence opened the way for both genders to join Saudi Arabia's armed forces.

The report stated that the military ranks from private to sergeant were made available for women in the Saudi Arabian Army, Royal Saudi Air Defence, Royal Saudi Navy, Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force, and Armed Forces Medical Services.

In September, the first group of female Saudi soldiers graduated from the Armed Forces Women’s Cadre Training Centre, after completing 14 weeks of basic training.

Also read: Saudi women allowed to live alone without male guardian's permission

In June, women in Saudi Arabia can now live alone in a house without the consent of father or any other male guardian.

Gulf News report said that the kingdom's judicial authorities scrapped Paragraph B under Article No. 169 of the “Law of Procedure before Sharia Courts” which states that an adult single, divorced, or widowed woman shall be handed over to her male guardian.

In February 2021, women were allowed to take up arms and enter the military as soldiers, lance corporals, corporals, sergeants, and staff sergeants.

A woman must be between the age of 21 and 40, be 155 centimetres tall or above, and cannot be a government employee to join the armed forces, according to the Saudi Ministry of Defence. She must also pass admission procedures, have a clean record, and be medically fit for service.

The move comes under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 initiative, introducing reforms that allow Saudi women to advance in various fields.