In Saudi Arabia, more than 28,000 women have applied for jobs as train drivers with Spanish operator Renfe. It is the first time that women in the conservative Arab country will be able to practice this profession.
That there was so much interest in the vacancies shows how much the position of women in the country has changed in a short time, observers say. Only since 2018 are women allowed to drive a car alone in Saudi Arabia.
The thirty selected will receive one year of paid training. They will take the wheel of the high-speed train between the holy Muslim cities of Mecca and Medina. The hst line was built by the Spanish Renfe, which also offers a train service on the line.
Until recently, jobs for Saudi women were limited to positions in education and the medical sector, among others. After all, they had to adhere to the strict rules of gender segregation. Currently, women have a 33 percent share in the Saudi labor market. This is a doubling in five years.
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