Saudi Arabia to segregate men, women in bank HQs

"One of Georgies strongest allies in the Middle East"

How's that for Women Liberation in the Middle East HmmmmmLaura?

6/25/2007 3:26:35
RIYADH • Saudi authorities have ordered banks to separate female and male workers at their headquarters in a new setback for women's rights in the conservative kingdom. Banks are one of the main employers of women in Saudi Arabia. Though women are already separated from male employees in branches, they have up to now worked together in bank headquarters.
Under the new system, women employees in bank headquarters could now be obliged to work on separate floors and use different lifts, entrances and canteens from men. "We are gutted. The flow of business will be ridiculous and we will not be able to attend important meetings, which will significantly hamper our career development," a senior Saudi woman banker said on condition of anonymity.
"We graduated to work in banks because they offered unparalleled career development opportunity in the kingdom, and now this. We are making one step forward and ten steps backwards," she added.
Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic law and customs stop unrelated men and women from mixing, banning them from driving cars and voting in municipal elections. Some senior Saudi officials have expressed support for women joining the labour force in a country where expatriates hold nearly 90 per cent of jobs in the private sector.
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