Improving Economic Empowerment Programs for Low-Income Women in Saudi Society: A Study Applied to Charities’ Beneficiaries in Riyadh

Abstract

The current study aims to improve low-income women’s economic empowerment programs in Saudi society from the perspectives of low-income women benefiting from these programs. It also seeks to identify the degree of low-income women’s economic empowerment in Saudi charities, outline the obstacles that hinder low-income women’s economic empowerment, and introduce proposals to improve the level of low-income women’s economic empowerment. To achieve these objectives, the analytical descriptive approach was adopted, quantitative and qualitative techniques were utilized to collect, analyze, and interpret data. A questionnaire was prepared by the author and applied to a sample of (198) low-income women benefiting from Bunyan, a Saudi charitable society. The results demonstrated that there was a medium level of charities’ contribution to low-income women’s economic empowerment in Saudi society. The degree of the obstacles hindering low-income women’s economic empowerment in charitable societies was very high. The participants agreed that the solutions proposed to improve the level of low-income women’s economic empowerment were very good. The study recommends holding workshops and conferences to discuss the standards and indicators of low-income women’s economic empowerment in charitable societies. It also recommends delivering lectures and rehabilitation training to educate women and raise their awareness about the economic sectors and the importance of exchanging experiences at the local and global levels.