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Saudi woman elected to Engineers Council

For the first time in the history of Saudi Arabia, a woman has been elected to the Engineers Council.

Nadia Bakhurji, 38, was the only female candidate out of 71 candidates who ran in the elections. “1,500 out of 5,000 members in the council participated in the vote,” said the council’s head of the public relations, Hashim ‘Aw’d Al-‘Uteibi.

“This marks a victory for all Saudi women whether in this field or any other, as it is an acknowledgment in the woman’s ability to actively participate in taking responsibilities, even in a management board of an important professional organization,” said Bakhurji according to Arab News. She added, “The fact that men voted for me is a gauge of how men feel about the involvement of women. It also shows that they’re placing a lot of trust in me.”

Last November two Saudi women also achieved an unprecedented win when they succeeded in entering the Jedda Chamber of Commerce. Earlier this year the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Sa’oud Al-Fei’sal further stressed the developing role of women in Saudi society. “Our educational reforms have created a new generation of highly educated and professionally trained Saudi women who are acquiring their rightful position in Saudi society,” Al-Fei’sal said during a conference in February 2005.