Mick Hartley

Exciting times in the Kingdom. The ban on salesmen working in lingerie shops is finally to be enforced:

Saudi Arabia, starting Thursday, will implement the Ministry of Labor rule that only females can work in women's lingerie stores. The Labor Ministry says that over 28,000 women have already applied for the sales jobs.

The 2006 law banning men from working in female apparel and cosmetic stores has never been put into effect, but the ministry is emphasizing that the law will be implemented on Thursday.

The decision is a historical one as it will open the doors wide for women to enter the labor market. The ministry warned that it would launch a campaign to check these shops and make sure that only women work there. It added, that all arrangements have been made to enforce this rule.

Sources told Arab News that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) has been instructed to help implement the decision. The Haia is considering building a female cadre to oversee the implementation of this law while also observing whether these shops employ women.

Religious Policewomen! Smart thinking. It's important to avoid the Father Ted scenario.

But, apart from the inevitable objections from hardliners, including the Saudi Grand Mufti, for whom "Employing women in shops selling female accessories is a crime and disrespectful," there are procedures to be followed. A step of this magnitude needs to be very carefully controlled:

The ministry has also stipulated rules for these women-only shops. If the shop is only for women, then the inside of the shop should not be visible from the outside. In this case, men are not allowed in. However, if the shop is for families the inside should be visible from outside. Also, shop owners are not allowed to employ female and male workers in the same place unless the place is a multi-departmental shop. In this case the decision stipulates a minimum of three female workers to work in one shift.

If the place is not within a mall, the shop owner should provide security or a security system in the shop. Also these places should provide more than one toilet unless the place is within a shopping mall with a specialized toilets within 50 meters from the shop. The ministry stressed that working women should dress decently including the hijab or the uniform of the shop. In all cases, women’s dress should not be transparent. Shopping places can also sell other women stuff such as readymade clothes, shoes, and cloaks. There should be a contract to guarantee working women rights including medical insurance.

Women's dress should not be transparent? A step too far, surely.