Saudi authorities have shut 90 bridal shops in Jeddah for failing to employ women, it was reported on Monday.
The Ministry of Labour conducted raids in a popular mall where there is a cluster of bridal shops.
It claimed the shops have violated a law that requires such establishments – which are mainly patronised by female customers – to offer job opportunities to women.
Over the next two years, Saudi authorities want all stores selling women’s perfume, shoes, bags, socks, clothes and textiles to be staffed by women, Arab News reported.
It quoted Abdullah Al-Olayan, general manager of the Labor Ministry, as saying the ministry wants more Saudi women in the private sector, but at the same time it has ramped up efforts to ensure that women are working in the “appropriate” places.
Most Saudi women prefer to work in the education sector as teachers or administrators due to social factors, the newspaper said.
It cited figures from the Central Department of Statistics and Information, which show there are 1.2 million Saudis working in the public sector with women accounting for 38.3 percent.
The proportion of women working in the private sector in Saudi Arabian remains low.
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