THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION TO IMPROVE WOMEN LEADERSHIP AT ORGANIZATIONS: THE CASE OF SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi women find many obstacles that avoid them reaching leadership positions in the organizations. The social perspective, the values and the culture are some arguments that impede that women occupy leadership positions. In this research, education, one of the organizational factors that promote the success of women in general and Saudi women in particular is considered. According to the statistics coming from the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia, a positive evolution in terms of education has taken place for women in comparison to men. The number of women graduated at the University has reached a 60% in year 2014. This improvement in education has not been translated into higher rates of women's employment and entrepreneurship initiatives in the country. Compared to men, women represent a 17% of the whole employment rate and it means the lowest rate in the world. Only a 12% of women are entrepreneurs compared to a 21% of men in the region. Women face important obstacles to reach leadership positions in their professional paths. Some authors describe how the cultural context where the education takes place impact in women and men expectations, even though their academic background. Some previous analyses show a positive relationship between the level of education at leadership levels and the organizational results. Education is therefore important to reach leadership positions at organizations. The main objective of this paper is to analyze if higher degrees of education in women imply higher levels of success in the organization based in a group of reasons derived from the literature review and in an empirical analysis developed in the Saudi Arabian context. Discussion can be of interest so that government agencies can help to reinforce the education initiatives oriented to women that promote women leadership.