JEDDAH: Many Saudi employers prefer giving jobs to single women over married ones, especially when prospective employees are hunting for their first jobs.
“I would rather employ a single woman rather than a married woman because I fear her other responsibilities might preoccupy her mind off from work,” said Mona Siraj, managing editor of Sayidaty women’s magazine.
“Of course, it depends on her experience and knowledge and what she can offer to the business. But if they were equally experienced and I had to choose between the two, I would definitely choose the single one,” she added.
Married women are stereotyped as lazy and inactive when it comes to work, said Talal Al-Wajeeh, a human resources manager at a cosmetic company in Jeddah. “I find it really hard for married women to make time for work when they have their hands full with problems relating to home,” he said.
“They come in late and leave early saying that their children or husband kept them away. They also sometimes come to work exhausted and sleepy because their children have kept them up all night,” he added.
“On the other hand, single ladies are willing to improve themselves by working extra hours… and prove to us men that they are worthy of the job they are employed for,” he said.
Another reason why employers prefer single women over married ones are husbands whose jealousy and lack of trust might cause problems for wives at work. “I had an employee whose husband used to call her every 15 minutes to make sure she is in the office and not talking to male employees,” said Sara Obaid, a human resources manager at a bank.
“What bugged me was that when she wouldn’t pick up her phone because she was busy helping a client, he would call the bank’s operator and ask what she was doing and who she was busy with,” she added.
According to Usama Al-Maliky, head manager of an advertisement company, married women tend to spend most of their time chatting. “I find married women chatty. They spend most of their time in the office talking to each other about their problems at home and speak about their children non-stop,” he said.
“Single women, on the other hand, are more focused and punctual... I think this is because they have fewer problems and they want to develop their careers,” he added.
Hawazen Jazzar unsuccessfully applied for several jobs after graduation. “I was called up for an interview at a top class educational institute in the Kingdom. Everything went well and I was confident that the job was mine until the interviewer asked me about my marital status. I informed him that I was engaged and he frowned and ended the interview as fast as he could,” she said.
“A day later, they called me up and said that they were uninterested and hoped I would get another job elsewhere. I think they became worried that I would become busy with planning my wedding and honeymoon and would not focus on my work,” she added.
Not all companies stereotype married women as terrible employees. “Its all based on psychology. Single women are usually high risk takers … whereas married ones are not; they already have their families to look after,” said Raed Al-Ghalib, a recruitment manager at a retail company. “On the other hand, married women are good troubleshooters and have a good sense of commitment,” he added.
