Beyond the Headlines: Saudi women move from the sidelines to the front line

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed more opportunities for women in business, the arts, sport and more.

In 2016, Vision 2030 – a plan to transform the country socially and economically – was announced, and Saudi leaders aim to create a self-sufficient, progressive and diversified economy.

Then in 2019, major changes to guardianship laws were brought in.

Not least, these changes allowed Saudi women to join the military. Pictures of women in Saudi uniform were later published across the world.

Women were also able to take more control of their careers, finances, education and marital status. Legal, social and economic reform overcame traditions that had resisted change for many years.

On this week's Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher marks Saudi National Day by speaking to the women who were once spectators but have since become leaders and trailblazers of social change.