SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE NECESSITY OF STRUCTURAL REFORMATION IN SAUDI ARABIA

This paper attempts to shed light on the socioeconomic implication of women's empowerment by placing them in the leadership position. Due to new economic policy, Saudi women are nowadays remarkably joining in the education sector. But they are facing various challenges while performing leadership roles. Presumably, these challenges appear to be the major barriers in women's empowerment. In order to better understand the socioeconomic implications of women's engagement in leadership and the contributing factors against empowerment this paper reviews the relevant literature published in recent years. Most of the contemporary scholarly works highlighted that Saudi women in higher education face familial, social and organizational barriers in pursuing their duties in the management. These barriers turn them into less productive as well as minor economic contributors. In order to gain greater economic benefit by women's empowerment, the government of Saudi needs to reshuffle the organizational setup while changing political, cultural and socioeconomic policy. This paper could be useful for policy development and conducting further research in this very front