Saudi Gazette Women are slowly and steadily penetrating into every job market in the Kingdom. They have now stepped in the Saudia Airlines kitchen, a place which was previously restricted and dominated by men. The airlines recently announced an addition of 35 female employees to their catering department at King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAAIA) in Jeddah. Last year, women were only involved in packaging and wrapping gifts and other sales items for the airlines. Their creativity, dedication and diligence was noticed by the airline officials and hence, they decided to open the catering department for them as well. “I was genuinely impressed with the Saudi women's creativity in designing gift packages, their work ethics and their capability to cope with pressures and stress of work. As the decision came to usher more women into the Saudia catering facility at the airport, we started specifically searching for women who truly needed jobs. Much of our employment has concentrated on women in precarious financial situations, such as widows, divorcees, and those in low income families. The women have surprised all of us as their work markedly led to an increased production in the gifts and sales department. In fact, on several occasions, the women's productivity surpassed that of the men's section. We hope that the other female employees will also bring the same spirit of hard work to the catering unit,” said Hussein Al-Shareef, regional director of the Saudia Catering Unit at KAAIA. Working women will enjoy the comfort and privacy of working in a separate section at the catering unit at the airport. So far no complaints or reports of harassment or nuisances have been made by women working in the gifts, sales or catering departments at the airport. Working hours are an average of eight hours a day and salaries range from SR3,000 to SR6,000 a month, depending on the job position, expertise level, and experience of the employee. They are also provided with transportation facilities to and from work. “The airline's interest in helping members of the community that have been previously kept away from the job market has also extended to recently employed 11 young men with hearing impairment. Despite being deaf, these men have shown great productivity and efficiency and they will have an important and permanent future with the company,” said Al-Shareef. __
