A country has plans to build a new city, only for women, in an attempt to help those who want to work, given that only 15% of women in this country are on the labor market. Saudi law does not forbid women to work, but the Islamic Sharia code, which refers to issues such as politics, economy, justice, and the personal aspects of life, from prayer and fasting to sex, hygiene and diet, put first the female role of wife and mother, reports dailymail.co.uk.
It is believed that the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) now has the task to harmonize the labor market situation in the country with the rest of the modern world, so that a controversial city, at the design stage now, will be built starting next year. Authorities hope that this will encourage women who want a career to do so, without defying Islamic laws governing the country.
Hafuf municipality, located in eastern Saudi Arabia, is hoping to attract investment of 500 million riyals ($133 million) and create about 5,000 jobs for women, in the textile, pharmaceutical and food industry. The government wants women to have a more active role in developing the country by creating jobs for them, particularly for young women.
“I am convinced that women can be effective in many ways in industries that fit best their interests, nature and ability,” said deputy general manager of Modon, Saleh Al-Rasheed, for the Saudi newspaper al-Eqtisadiah. Major industrial cities in Saudi Arabia have already factories owned by women and companies in which staff includes a small part of the female population of these cities. In the new city, there will be companies run by women and production lines where exclusively women will work.
Starting this summer, women began to replace men employed in perfumes and cosmetics stores, just half a year after they replaced the men employed in lingerie shops. But despite some progress, women’s rights in Saudi Arabia are still limited by Islamic law. They are deprived of certain freedoms, present in the Western culture. In September 2011, King Abdullah announced that women can vote and stand for election starting in 2015, but Saudi Arabia is still the only country where women are not allowed to drive cars.
The International Olympic Committee had to make great efforts to convince the Saudi authorities to send, for the first time, women to the Olympic Games in London. Thus, two Saudi women, Wojdan Shaherkani, judo, and Sarah Attar, in athletics competed in the 2012 Olympic Games.
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