Reformulating gender norms in Saudi Arabia : cultural liberalization under vision 2030

Abstract

This article examines the process of gender norm reconstruction in Saudi Arabia within the framework of Vision 2030, focusing on the state's strategy of selectively liberalizing culture to support its authoritarian modernization project. In the conservative Wahhabi tradition, women's positions have been limited by legal, social, and religious structures. However, since 2016, under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi government has initiated a series of reforms that have allowed women to drive, work in the public sector, and access entertainment and cultural spaces. This article uses a qualitative-analytical approach with an exploratory-descriptive design through discourse and policy analysis, as well as a theoretical framework of modernization, state feminism, and ideological control in authoritarian states. It was found that gender reforms in Vision 2030 are not merely a form of emancipation, but rather a state strategy to build new legitimacy, attract global investment, and reframe national identity without overhauling the authoritarian political order. This study makes an important contribution to understanding the dynamics of gender in contemporary Muslim societies and development politics in the Gulf region.