Many countries mark International Women’s Day by celebrating achievements and raising awareness of bias.

In modern Saudi Arabia, I think we can go much further on this special day.

Instead of being content with how far we have come in a short time, we can look to a bright future full of excitement.

For us, International Women’s Day should be a day of charting our rise towards a truly equal society, where women can help lead the way.

Therefore, it should be about ambition as much as it should be about celebration.

Life has changed and very quickly, if you think that in 2018, women were allowed to drive for the first time.

A year later, a decree meant a male’s permission was no longer needed to get a passport, to travel, go to university or go out with friends.

This was obviously life changing for many, but I believe there have been other developments since which will continue to shape our country for decades to come.

Having freedoms in a society is one thing, but just as important is having the type of society where you can truly make the most of these privileges and fully express yourself.

Thanks to changes in the Labor Law, women can now get equal pay if they are carrying out the same job as their male colleagues.

All citizens now also have the right to free education without any discrimination.

These developments give women confidence in the fact they are truly valued as equals in society, and also the framework in which to achieve their dreams.

I have no doubt the changes will allow women to play an increasingly significant role in shaping our country’s future.

This empowerment means our voices are not only being heard, but listened to.

It is happening in sectors from education to economics, politics, sport and business.

Everyone benefits as a result - our modern, vibrant society and the Kingdom and its economy as a whole.

The government has stressed that these exciting changes are all part of the Vision 2030 plan.

But thanks to many forward-looking reforms, perhaps change is happening far more quickly and with far more impact than the authorities could have imagined.

This is certainly the case if you think about where we are now, compared to when we marked International Women’s Day in 2018, at a time when women weren’t able to drive.

We have come so far in four years - it is exciting to imagine where we could be in a further four years?

In many ways, the times have already changed in modern Saudi Arabia.

It is about having the ambition for all women to make the most of these changes and have as big an impact on our society as possible.

That is why, on International Women’s Day, we shouldn’t just mark it by celebrating what we have already achieved.

We should all look forward and think of how we can lead and contribute as much as possible in the years ahead.

— Dr. Ghadeer Talal Melibari, holder of PhD in English from University of Hertfordshire, UK, is currently working as Assistant Professor of English teaching at Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah.