The Ministry of Labor would not feminize stores selling household goods, an official confirmed recently.

Saud Al-Sneitan, the ministry’s field supervisor overseeing women’s issues, said these stores serve men and women.

However, if some stores stock five to 10 percent of their goods solely for women, then these should be removed and set up in a separate section or branch, Al-Sneitan said.

He said that over 5,000 shops have already complied with the ministry’s feminization directives.

Some shop owners have removed some of the goods for women shoppers and plan to open special women sections, he said.

Al-Sneitan said that this does not mean women cannot work for these general stores in administrative positions, such as accountants, if owners accommodate them with an appropriate working environment.

He said the ministry has published decisions and studies on feminization on its “MAAN” (Together) portal, which is the personal initiative of Minister of Labor Adel Fakeih to consult citizens on key labor issues before passing new laws and regulations. The ministry recently presented 21 draft proposals on the portal for discussion.