Cairo: Saudi authorities have penalised a local coffee shop after it had employed women as waitresses in violation of work rules, a government official has said.
Legal action was taken against the café in Saudi Arabia’s eastern governorate of Taif after reports on social media circulated about female waitresses at the place, spokesman for the Ministry of Human Resources Nasser Al Hazani said.
“The violating establishment was identified for violating the unified guidebook regulating the working environment for women and disciplinary penalties were taken against it,” he added on his Twitter Account without giving details.
Women are allowed in Saudi Arabia to work at restaurants in women-designated areas, a restriction aimed at providing favourable work conditions for them.
Saudi women accounted for 1.1 million workers or about 26 per cent of the country’s manpower at the end of 2019, according to media figures.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to boost women’s rights and empower them as part of wide social and economic reforms in the country.
In 2018, the kingdom allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on female driving.
In another move boosting women’s empowerment, Saudi authorities have authorised women to travel without a male guard’s approval and to apply for a passport, easing long-time controls on them.
