6 minutes agoSaudi Arabia removes gender division in restaurants
Periskopi(7 years ago)
(7 years ago)Women in Saudi Arabia will not have to use special access or sit behind barriers in restaurants, following the government's recent move to ease decades of conservative restrictions in the country. The decision, which addresses some of the most visible forms of gender division, was announced today in silence at one [...]
The decision, which addresses some of the most visible forms of gender division, was announced today in a long statement, carefully formed by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Affairs.
Although some restaurants and cafes in the town of Jeddah and luxury hotels in Riyadh have already allowed men and women with no ties to land freely, the Saudi government arranges a sensitive issue because traditional Saudis consider gender a religious obligation.
In addition, neighboring Muslim countries do not have similar rules.
Saudi Arabia's restaurants and cafes, including Western chains like Starbocks, are currently divided into a “family selection” for women who are single or accompanied by male relatives and a section “only male”.
Many also have special entrances for women, as well as so-called divisions or rooms for families where free men cannot see them.
In smaller restaurants or cafes where there is no room for partition, women are not allowed access.
