JEDDAH, 13 March 2003 — Saudi women have welcomed the recent government decision to allow females to work in factories.
Amrah Al-Shebani, a computer programmer, told Arab News that “it is a good idea that women can now work in factories. It will give job opportunities to a lot of unemployed Saudi women, especially those with high school diploma. Factory work does not require higher qualifications anyway.
“This will give women the opportunity to prove themselves in fields other than health and education.”
Ghalya Fadel, a hardware technician, said, “It is a good idea to be working in a factory, but it depends on the nature of the job. Saudi women will need a lot of training to operate factory machines. It is a new experience that I am willing to go through. They must take into consideration the nature of women — that they cannot do heavy jobs”.
Khulood Al-Kahtani supported the idea of women doing factory jobs. She said, “The current economic situation forces women to find jobs to support the family. Women must be independent and therefore they must earn their own living. It’s an honest job and there is nothing wrong with it. It is a good idea that women will work in factories in place of foreign workers. I know some Saudis who will object to this idea. Societies change, and they must get used to it.”
Arab News interviewed a few Saudi men to find out what they think of the breakthrough in women’s employment.
Yasir Al-Harbi did not object to the idea as long as men and women were segregated. “I do not think women should handle heavy machinery. They should be given soft jobs or desk jobs which are not hazardous and are away from men. It is a good idea because they will be replacing foreign workers and it will benefit the economy.”
Saleh Al-Hasan, a university student, totally disagrees with the idea. He said, “If you look around you, you will see many unemployed male Saudis, especially university graduates. The authorities must focus their attention on jobless Saudis first because they are a big problem. I do not know why women would want to compete with us in the job market, as if we had lots of chances and we needed a competitor. ”
