Women in the workplace: Blending traditional values with a modern work environment

In an effort to enable female workers to play a greater role in the economy, the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) announced in mid-2012 that it had begun to plan an industrial city that would make special provisions for women. Situated at Al Ahsa, near the eastern city of Hofuf, the industrial city will be near enough to residential neighbourhoods to facilitate easy movement between work and home. In addition, the city is to have special sections and production halls reserved for women, but contrary to some reports in the international press it will not be a women-only city. Hoping to accommodate around 50 industrial projects, the city is no token investment. Other proposals are being studied for four industrial clusters around Riyadh also dedicated to female entrepreneurs.

Committed Government

Critics suggest that projects like these are culturally and economically unfeasible. They highlight problems from how employees would get to work – in a country where women are not allowed to drive – to insufficient industrial expertise amongst women, to the reluctance of a conservative society to encourage women to work. “The fact is that we already have a lot of women working in factories,” Lama Suleiman, the vice-chairwoman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told OBG. “As things stand, most opportunities for female industrialists will be in sectors like food processing, handiwork and furniture. The city at Hofuf is commendable, but the real point is that the government is showing a commitment to female participation in the economy.”

The drive to increase female employment – widely credited to the policies of the current King – has important economic as well as cultural ramifications. “We can no longer rely on the model whereby a working husband is sufficient to provide for his family. Our country is weighed down by high unemployment rates, and this is not least for the reason that around 80% of women are unemployed,” said Suleiman.

Despite the significance of plans for the industrial cities, sources point to the retail sector as having the greatest potential to absorb female workers. At the beginning of 2012, the Ministry of Labour began to enforce a law first enacted in 2006, that stipulates that staff working in stores which sell lingerie and other goods exclusively for women must be female. That more than 28,000 women applied for these jobs might imply that women would be willing to work not only in lingerie stores, but in other retail areas. In fact, a survey conducted in 2012 by the daily Al Watan suggested that 42% of Saudi women are open the idea of working in the sector. “The next stage will be perfumeries, and maybe clothing after that,” Suleiman said.

Few would deny that the pace of change is quickening, but it is by no means a foregone conclusion that female participation will shoot up in all areas of the workforce. “Many of our women are still very conservative, and we have to accept that they may not want immediate and full integration into the workplace,” said Suleiman. In fact, as many as 58% of women dismiss the idea of working in the retail sector completely, suggests the September 2012 survey. As for industry, Saudi law still forbids women from working in subsectors ranging from mining and construction, to electricity production and car-repair shops.

Cashing In Change

It is undeniable that the Kingdom has witnessed enormous change over the last decade. Female representation in the national workforce has increased to around 15%. No longer is it necessary for a male proxy to handle official transactions for a female-owned business, and women can now own businesses independently. Every government department must provide a women’s section, and some – particularly the Ministry of Education – are employing significantly more women than men. While resistance to change is strong, much criticism coming from conservatives concerns the issue of women and men mixing at work, rather than female employment per se. With university graduates accounting for approximately 80% of unemployed women, the economic incentives for change may ultimately be difficult to resist as well.