It also says that one of the major social obstacles faced by Saudi women is family support. Majority of the well-known Saudi businesswomen come from wealthy families and were backed by relatives.

Women entrepreneurs are ‘very small and limited” and according to the figures of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, the number of enterprises in 2010 was 218,400 from 121,500 just four years earlier. Due to the high incidence of sleeping partners in the Saudi business community and the complexities in the regulatory environment, it is quite difficult to measure the number of women entrepreneurs as both men and women register their business under names of men.

But according to UN figures, the women-owned registered commercial enterprises stood over 47,400 towards the end of 2010, up from 22, 500 registered in May2004 and 35,400 in January 2009.

Hessa, herself who’ a pioneer in women’s rights in Saudi Arabia says, “The change is coming” and more women are asking for their economic rights. She added that more education of women means more females looking for jobs. 

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