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A woman’s duty is to be at home, bringing up children, a member of Saudi's Shura Council told a forum on Tuesday.
“We have to understand that the basic duty of women is at home and bringing up children,” said Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan, Saudi daily Arab News reported on Wednesday.
Sheikh Abdul was speaking at the two-day National Dialogue Forum in Buraidah during which delegates called for the creation of more employment opportunities for Saudi women.
Sheikh Abdul said that although women should stay at home it was not against Islamic law, which the conservative Muslim kingdom follows strictly.
He said women could work as long as they do not mix with unrelated men.
Under Saudi law women are not allowed to be alone in the company of a man that is not a male guardian, which can either be a father, husband, brother or son. Restaurants, cafes, shops and offices are all required to have separate areas for men and women.
Under law women are also not permitted to work, travel or marry, and can be denied access to health, judicial and other public services without first obtaining permission from a male guardian.
Forum delegate Rafeeqa Al-Dakhil said she had witnessed “thousands” of foreign women working in health care and other sectors, while “Saudi women waited in long queues for jobs”.
Another delegate, Muneera Al-Sheikha, said transportation was a key problem and companies should arrange transportation for their female employees.
Sheikh Abdul's remarks come just days after Human Rights Watch accused the Saudi government of denying women basic human rights under the kingdom's male guardianship and strict gender segregation policies.
The US-based group called on the government to dismantle the "grossly discriminatory" guardianship system and drastically expand the facilities available for women to allow them equal access to public services.
Human Rights Watch said more than 100 women were interviewed for the report, 'Perpetual Minors: Human Rights Abuses Stemming from Male Guardianship and Sex Segregation in Saudi Arabia'.