Equal and full rights

Among the most important priorities of the blessed renaissance in 1970, was the concern for women and their participation in the march of development. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos had always paid a great attention to Omani women and included her in many of his speeches and press interviews. During the opening of Shura Council for the second period in 12/26/2004, he said: “We invite the Omani women everywhere; in the village and the city, in the urban and the desert, in the plain and the mountain to contribute in the economic and social development, each according to her ability, energy, experience and skill. Our country needs all arms to continue the path of progress, growth, stability and prosperity.” His Majesty Sultan Qaboos also stressed on the importance of Omani women’s role in the development process in his speech delivered at Oman Council held on 11/16/2009, where he said “We have given, since the beginning of this era, our full attention to the participation of Omani women in the blessed renaissance process, so we have provided them with education, training and employment opportunities. We supported their role and in society, and we stressed the necessity of their contribution in various areas of development as we ease this through systems and laws that guarantee their rights and clarify their duties, so they are able to achieve advancement of their own, its experiences and skills in order to build their country and uphold its position” For this, the Omani women have proven, throughout the forty-nine years, their worth in all the fields in which they worked, including leadership positions, as well as in medical, educational, administrative, cultural, scientific occupations, and others. Crowning this supreme interest for Omani women and in appreciation of their role in the renaissance march, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos ordered to designate October 17 every year as a day for Omani women. On this day, women in the various governorates of the Sultanate celebrate this noble honour, where seminars and events are organised in which women gather and discuss their various issues and their future aspirations in the service of the country. It is not surprising after all this that the Sultanate won the first rank in empowerment of Omani women in 2018, according to the annual report issued by the Centre for Arab Women Participation Studies, affiliated to the Paris-based Arab Women Foundation. The report, published by Al Jazeera Net on October 17, 2018, stated that women in the Sultanate obtain all their rights. Female workers in the government sector at the end of 2016 accounted for 41.5 per cent of the total number of employees, while their percentage in the civil service was 47 per cent. The percentage of Omani women working in the private sector reached 24 per cent at the end of July of last year. The percentage of women insured at the end of 2016 and registered in pension funds accounted for 32 per cent and female beneficiaries of social security stood at 58 per cent.