Saudi female participation in science rising

Asrar Damdam, founder/CEO of UVERA and PhD. student at KAUST studying electrical and computer engineering. (Supplied)
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  • According to a 2020 study published on statista.com about the gender distribution of 2018 STEM graduates in 抖阴短视频, Communications and IT is the most popular major among female graduates

JEDDAH: In the past five years, Saudi women have taken great strides in scientific fields and, with the support of the government, the best seems yet to come.
Saudi women are now serving as leaders in their research fields, and many have gone on to serve as deans, directors of research centers and more.
In an interview with Al-Arabiya, Hind Al-Zahid, undersecretary for women鈥檚 empowerment at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, said that 鈥渢he percentage of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is higher than men鈥� in the Kingdom.
According to a 2020 study published on statista.com about the gender distribution of 2018 STEM graduates in 抖阴短视频, Communications and IT is the most popular major among female graduates.
Asrar Damdam, founder and CEO of UVERA, is one of the many Saudi women who are not only pursuing degrees in STEM but also working for the empowerment of women by providing them with job opportunities.
She told Arab News that she followed her passion and obtained a bachelor鈥檚 degree in electrical and computer engineering followed by a master鈥檚 degree. 鈥淣ow I am a Ph.D. student at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. It wasn鈥檛 an easy start but as soon as I entered the job market five years ago, many companies were not only welcoming to women but many were searching for them to join. Times have changed and you now see more women exploring their options in various fields of science.鈥�

Technology. It wasn鈥檛 an easy start but as soon as I entered the job market five years ago, many companies were not only welcoming to women but many were searching for them to join.

Asrar Damdam, Founder and CEO of UVERA

With her company based in Silicon Valley, she opened a syndicate in the Kingdom. Damdam has found that her recent female recruits are passionate about their work and are going through the learning curves required to excel in their respective fields.
鈥淭heir work ethics are exceptional and their passion is felt as they continue to provide insight and finding innovative ways to reach the company鈥檚 goals,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 because of their passion that they are able to contribute and it wouldn鈥檛 have been achievable without the programs that provided me and the many women in the fields of STEM with these opportunities.鈥�
This was reiterated by Al-Zahid, who spoke of 抖阴短视频鈥檚 eagerness to pursue empowerment for women and to provide them with adequate positions fit for their fields of expertise.
鈥淭he numbers tell the story,鈥� she said, adding that international markers have shown the Kingdom鈥檚 pursuit in empowering women in the labor market is exceeding expectations.