JEDDAH — Women working in women shops complained about the unsuitable work environment in the sector. Asma Mohammad said the work environment does not provide the basic necessities and services for women employees. "I have been working for a women shop for the past two years and my salary has been SR4,100 a month. I have a family to support and there is no transportation service provided for by my employer. Half of my salary goes to supporting my family and the other half is spent on taxi fares," said Mohammad. She also said sometimes she has shifts until 11:00 p.m. and taxi drivers use the late hour to their advantage demanding higher rates knowing that she has no other option. "The retail sector has a shortage of staff. One worker would be handling the entire shift alone and she would be forced to do tasks outside of her job description as a saleswoman such as cleaning, keeping inventory and unpacking merchandises," said Mohammad. With the heavy workload many women have to come to work an hour early to make the preparations before opening the shop and they said the owners must at least employ enough staff to handle the cleaning of the shops and stores. Abeer Khalid said her employer cut down her salary because she would close the store for 20 minutes at a time several times a day. "It's not my fault. I have a medical condition, which forces me to use the restroom frequently. Every time I need to use the restroom I would have to walk for about 20 minutes to reach the nearest one. I would close the store meanwhile to ensure that no one steals anything," said Khalid. She added her salary barely reaches SR3,000. Hanan Abdulrahman said the stores they work in do not have the appropriate facilities of a workplace. "We don't have restrooms or a place for rest during breaks. Unless we work in a shopping center, all of these facilities are not available to us. We are underpaid. We work for long hours extending to 11:00 p.m. and we do tasks and chores that are out of our job description as saleswomen," said Abdulrahman. Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ready-to-Wear Clothes and Textiles Businessmen Committee Head Mohammad Al-Shihry said the feminizing of women retail sector is ongoing and the challenges and complaints lodged will be taken into consideration. "We are aware that in rural neighborhoods there aren't any restrooms or other facilities available for the employees. However, women working in shopping centers have all the facilities needed," said Al-Shihry. Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Businesswomen Committee member Hiba Qadhi said employing women in the retail sector is a good move for the development of the country and the economy. "We should not let such obstacles deter us. The sector will develop and accommodate the new needs by time. Women's participation in the job market will give her the opportunity to develop socially and economically," said Qadhi.
