Saudi women today drive competitively. March 2022 saw the first all-women’s off-road rally in Saudi. Throughout three stages, 35 teams traveled from Hail to Riyadh. “It’s been interesting to see that women are not just driving on the road, but they’re encouraged to go off-road as well,” says one woman from India who is currently living in Riyadh.

There are also female Uber drivers. In Saudi, there’s even a “women preferred view” option in the Uber app, which allows female drivers to select female riders. There are also ride-hailing Apps like Wsslini and Leena, which are exclusively for women in Saudi.

Saudi’s total female workforce participation rose to 33.6 percent in the first quarter of 2022 — from 20.5 percent in the same period in 2019 — when most countries saw a decline in female participation, according to a report by the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority, also known as Monsha’at.

“It has changed the whole dynamic of society,” says a Lebanese woman who travels to Saudi frequently for work.

One industry in which women in Saudi have a big presence is software development. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that Apple chose Riyadh as the site for its first Developer Academy in the Middle East. Women also comprise 45% of Saudi’s cybersecurity workforce, according to statistics published by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP).

Equally exciting, on February 12, 2023, the Saudi Press Agency announced that the first Saudi female astronaut, Rayana Bernawi, along with another Saudi astronaut, would be sent to the International Space Station during the second quarter of 2023.

There are several women’s travel groups that female visitors to Arabia can join, including The Women’s Travel Group.  But female tourists will not be the only ones traveling in Saudi. “I know of big groups of up to 30 women, sometimes from the same family, that travel and rent houses together,” says one young Saudi female from Khobar. Apps like WhatsApp and Telegram are very popular in Saudi and are often used to organize excursions with fellow female travelers.

As for where the locals suggest you go, while you could wander the alleys in Jeddah’s Al Balad for hours, you don’t need to stay in Saudi’s big cities for a safe and exciting trip. “My research has taken me into remote areas where we are the only Westerners, and I’ve always felt welcome,” says an expat who has been living in Saudi for six years.

“The hospitality here is amazing,” notes the expat. “I would tell women who come to Saudi that if they ever get lost, they should go into a local grocery store — we call it a Bakala,” says the Saudi student. “They’re always happy to tell you which way to go!”

Want to learn more about women in Saudi? Explore here.