In a move to expand a fast-growing private sector, the Saudi government on Thursday made an important announcement. It now allows women to start their own business without permission from their husband or any other male relative. Saudi has been for long been ruled by a strict guardianship and this announcement proves to be a positive move for the women.

"Women can now launch their own businesses and benefit from (governmental) e-services without having to prove consent from a guardian," the ministry of commerce and investment said on its website. Under their usual guardianship system women are required to present proofs of permission from a 'male' guardian. This could be the husband, father or brother for any government paperwork, travelling or even enrolling in a class.

The economy of Saudi is running on their oil production but the government is now looking at expansion and female employment can be a good source of increasing income within the country. To ease their restrictions of venturing into something new, this step has been taken. This ensures more female employment in the days to come. In another bright news for the women, the Saudi public prosecutor announced it would begin recruiting women investigators for the first time.

New vacancies and positions have been made available for women at airports and border crossings. This is a very historic decision coming from the land where women have been constantly under male supervision and directed by permissions. The crowned Prince Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is leading the initiative to include more women in the workforce in the coming months. He had promised for a "moderate, open" Saudi Arabia in October. He holds a vision for Vision 2030" reform programme, which seeks to elevate the percentage of women in the workforce from 22 percent to nearly one-third.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 18, 2018 07:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).