Women only to work in Saudi lingerie shops

A concept that always baffled me when living in Saudi Arabia – lingerie shops being run by men, and in a country that follows a strict regime of obscuring the female form, it seems so ironic that women wishing to purchase underwear must do so under the supervision of men. It simply makes women uncomfortable, being under the watchful eyes of male shop assistants when making decisions over their bra purchases. It also makes it very difficult, if not impossible for women to get any advice about their purchasing decisions, particularly on the subject of lingerie.

And so in the midst of many changes affecting the Arab world, a law which will allow only women to work in lingerie shops in Saudi Arabia is due to come into force. The strict segregation laws in Saudi Arabia barring physical contact between the sexes dictate that women should only be allowed to work in women-only malls, but this will not solve the contentious issue of male shop assistants in female shops. This also means that women have been unable to be properly measured for their underwear, something women are freely advised on in any other country, should they require help from shop assistants. The issue here is over the freedom of choice, and a lack of it; women should have the option to ask for advice from the shop assistant and receive a professional service from the vendor. 2010 saw women in Saudi Arabia calling for a two-week boycott of lingerie shops run by male shop assistants. Rema Asaad, economics professor from Jeddah organised the boycott via Facebook as a means of rallying support for the cause, as public protests are illegal in the Kingdom. Ms Asaad had been calling for saleswomen to be allowed to work in shops that cater for both men and women since 2008.

Although religious police are not against women working in women-only malls, there is a general reluctance on the part of the authorities to promote a working culture amongst women in Saudi Arabia. This is simply a reflection of age-old traditions that continue to dominate the running of the country, but it is clear that these traditions just don’t quite fit in a world that is constantly developing, rapidly evolving, and eradicating many traditions in its wake. In any other way, Saudi Arabia keeps up with this pace, consistently developing its technologies in tune with the rest of the world, and yet matters of gender fall short of this movement.

As a result, King Abdullah’s royal decree will ban male staff from selling female underwear. This is a law that has received a huge amount of attention not only in favour of female shoppers, but also women wanting to enter the workforce. This law could potentially create up to 40,000 new jobs for Saudi women who have up to this point in time, been unable to enter the workforce. The female workforce in Saudi Arabia is comprised of the educated elite, who hold positions in government and medicine, whereas the general workforce is dominated by men.

Efforts to implement the Saudization of the workforce have been somewhat lacklustre, and the majority of the Saudi workforce is held by foreign workers from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. On the flip side of this argument, this law will create employment opportunities for Saudi women, but it does impact the role of male shop assistants, who will inevitably find themselves out of a job. There are already growing tensions between the liberal and conservative parties in Saudi Arabia, with potential opposition expected from the religious police. To ensure that the new female shop assistants are not harassed in the initial implementation of this law, the Ministry of Labour is posting observers in shopping centres to curb any problems.

In terms of the bigger picture, this will be a great stepping point for women in the country and their standing within a male-dominated society. And so these subtle changes in the law, though slower than many other nations, are very positive in terms of changing behaviours and bringing Saudi Arabia up to speed with a more liberal way of living. I say liberal in a very loose sense, but the point to note is not necessarily that changes are slow to be made, but that women are taking a stand and are determined to make change happen. The fact that women are taking this initiative, are standing their ground and finding innovative ways to communicate with one another and rally support behind a general cause for the emancipation of their positions in society, is where the real evolution lies. The next step is getting these voices heard and implementing the necessary changes that will give women in Saudi Arabia a more equal footing with men. The next stage of the ban on male shop assistants in lingerie shops is due to be extended to cosmetic shops later in the year.