JEDDAH: The first Conference of Saudi Women Studies has been launched at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, along with an accompanying exhibition entitled “Saudi Women: Present and Future.” The conference, being held at the university’s Center for Social Research and Women Studies, was inaugurated with an introductory film on the center and a speech by Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Dr. Ahmad Al-Ghadeer. In his speech Al-Ghadeer noted that the event and the exhibition are being held to fulfill the university’s vision in being a beacon for women, with the participation of specialists and researchers from the Kingdom and abroad. The program of this conference, through its sessions and scientific papers submitted, deals with various aspects of research and studies related to the participation of women in the development process, in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. “It looks forward to and highlights the future of specialized scientific research in the field of women studies,” he said Dr. Maha Al-Khashil, Director of the Center for Social Research and Women’s Studies, said in her speech that the conference was organized to achieve the university’s strategic goals in implementing scientific research, to discuss women’s issues and enhance their role in supporting national transformation. She said the conference comes at a time when Saudi women are living a renaissance under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The first session discussed the topic of “Women and Media,” while the second one was entitled “The leadership’s role in supporting women participation in development.” “Women participation in the economy and the labor market, their role in building a prosperous economy” was the topic of the third session. “The role of women in literature, language and history” was the them of the fourth session.