LE MONDE (France), THE GUARDIAN, DAILY MAIL (UK)
They’re not allowed to drive or to vote, writes Le Monde, but the women of Saudi Arabia will soon have their own city.
How to create more job opportunities for woman in gender-segregated society? Build female-only city! gu.com/p/39y2a/tw
#SaudiArabia— Guardian World (@guardianworld) August 13, 2012
Saudi Arabia is planning to build women-only industrial city dedicated to female workers, reports the Guardian. The city, which will be built in the eastern province of Hofuf, will provide a working environment that is in line with Saudi Arabia’s customs and Sharia law.
Although the oil-rich kingdom does not prohibit women from working, says the Daily Mail, they only make up 15 percent of the workforce, with most employed in women-only workplaces.
Until recently, Saudi women could only work as supermarket cashiers or bank tellers, reports Le Monde, but now they can alsoget a job in shops selling lingerie or cosmetics. By the end of the year, women should also be able to replace men in stores selling the traditional abaya cloaks.
The Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) developing the project believes the women-only city could create between 2,000 and 5,000 jobs in textiles, pharmaceuticals and food-processing industries, with women-run firms and production lines. In a statement, Modon said the city would be equipped “for women workers in environment and working conditions consistent with the privacy of women according to Islamic guidelines and regulations.”
