Saudi Arabia orders closure of 100 lingerie shops because they employed male …

September 17, 2012 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News

King issued decree banning men from underwear stores
Aims to make women feel more comfortable buying intimate attire

By
Daily Mail Reporter

UPDATED:

07:58 EST, 17 September 2012

Female-friendly: Saudi women no longer have to deal with the embarrassment of buying lingerie from male staff

Saudi Arabia has ordered the closure
of around 100 lingerie shops in the capital Riyadi which have violated new regulations banning
men from working on their sales staff, it emerged today.

A labour ministry official was quoted by the newspaper Al-Eqtisadiah as saying all shops which flouted a decree on the ‘feminisation and nationalisation of jobs’ would be shut down.

The measure aims to ‘provide a safe environment for working women,’ he said.

At the start of this year, the
ministry banned male assistants from working at lingerie shops as a
first step to be followed by women-only sales assistants at cosmetics
outlets.

King Abdullah issued the decree to end the ‘embarrassment’ suffered by women who don’t want to give men their measurements.

It was also part of an effort to reduce high female unemployment in the conservative kingdom,
currently at around 30 per cent.

Saudi women – tired of having to deal
with men when buying undergarments – boycotted lingerie stores to
pressure them to employ women.

The country is home to Islam’s
holiest site in the city of Mecca and follows an ultra-conservative form
of the religion known as Wahhabism.

The kingdom’s religious police, under the control of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, enforce Saudi Arabia’s strict interpretation of Islam, which prohibits unrelated men and women from mingling.

Women and men in Saudi Arabia remain highly segregated and are restricted in how they are allowed to mix in public.

Unlikely hero: King Abdullah of Saudia Arabia issued a decree banning men from working in lingerie shops which is now being enforced by the labour ministry

The separation of men and women is not absolute, however.

Women
in Saudi Arabia hold high-level teaching positions in universities and
work as engineers, doctors, nurses and a range of other posts.

The
strict application of Islamic law forced an untenable situation in
which women, often accompanied by uncomfortable male relatives, have to
buy their intimate apparel from men behind the counter.

The ministry banned male assistants from working at lingerie shops as a first step to be followed by women-only sales staff at cosmetics outlets

And with the kingdom boasting 7,353 lingerie shops in total, there is clearly demand from fashion-forward Saudi women.

Attire beneath the burka is naturally a very private issue and only for the eyes of a woman’s husband.

One
option is a shalwar kameez – a loose-fitting trouser dress combination.

Also popular, as many high-end fashion houses will attest, is
Western-style clothing.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

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Why should Saudi women be embarrassed to give men their measurements? They do it here! It’s not like the man will immediately have sexual feelings for her right on the spot. This is only limiting womens freedom in Saudi Arabia, a truly sexist country that still has a lot to learn to enter the 21st century.

Fabio Fernandes
,

London, United Kingdom,
17/9/2012 16:59

Arab Women do not wear Shalwar Kameez under their Abaya nor do they wear a Burka . They wear abaya with a Niqab. You will find Saudi Women working now in Supermarkets at Checkouts for families.

sunnysmiles
,

London, United Kingdom,
17/9/2012 16:51

Welcome to the 15th Century

Pipeman
,

Baccytown, United Kingdom,
17/9/2012 16:41

Salwar Kameez is a traditional Asian Dress, not arabian!
RESEARCH!!!!!!!!!!!

whitebiscuit
,

Manchester, United Kingdom,
17/9/2012 16:30

Why do Muslim women need underwear anyway if they wear head to toe Jilbaabs?

Resnam
,

Sandbanks,
17/9/2012 16:11

This raises some interesting questions ~ DO wives there actually wear lingerie?? Wouldn`t the wearing of lingerie be viewed as decadent if not downright sinful and therefore insulting to Islam? Will it come in any colour other than black? Re: to provide “a safe environment for working women”, ARE women allowed to have such jobs outside the family home?? If so, how do they get to work? Are they allowed to drive? If they are allowed to have such jobs, who will supervise them other than a man? Its all rather confusing. . . . .

Lamberton
,

Lichfield,
17/9/2012 16:08

They just don’t live in the real world, do they?

Alcox
,

Torrevieja Spain,
17/9/2012 15:56

Its short sightedness like this that makes me take a wide berth of Arab countries They preach Allah etc but neglect 50% of their population and treat them like meat.

mik
,

Melbourne,
17/9/2012 15:41

About time too. I hope Egypt will follow. It is really embarrassing to try and buy lingerie here as well. I always wait till I leave the country to buy and stock up on what I need. The men in these shops are so creepy

Wal Riley
,

Leamington Spa,
17/9/2012 15:18

just what were the writers of their owners manuel on when they thought of out the rules for this book?, or indeed any of the religious manuals The more you study them, the more they don’t make sense, just like tax laws.

Alan
,

Huddersfield,
17/9/2012 15:08

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