No Men In Lingerie Shops In Saudi Arabia

Oh, Saudi Arabia. How you continue to baffle me with the problems you create for yourself around the segregating of the sexes.

In 2006 a law was put in place that banned men from working in “female apparel and cosmetic stores.” I understand the basic principle here — women don’t want men around when they try on or buy clothes because they want privacy and there are strict rules in their religion.

But the problem with this rule is that if it’s frowned upon when women work at all, let alone in malls where men and women congregate together, then how can this law possibly be enforced?

In fact, this law has been declared as contrary to Islamic Law by Saudi’s most senior cleric because “the employment of women in stores that sell female apparel and a woman standing face to face with a man selling to him without modesty or shame can lead to wrongdoing.”

Because of this conundrum, they haven’t been enforcing this law up until now. But women have been protesting by boycotting lingerie stores because they just aren’t comfortable dealing with men. And it looks like they have finally made their point, because the 2006 law will be enforced starting Thursday.

What this means is that many men will now lose their jobs, many women (often immigrant workers) will get these jobs, and female customers will be much more comfortable shopping.

I fully approve of women working, becoming economically independent, and making their way in the world. But forcing men out of their jobs and continuing to enforce segregation between men and women with a law that is also considered anti-Islamic by the top cleric is not going to make things any better than what they were before.

Contact the author here: mack@morningquickie.com