Saudi women defy business curbs

Saudi custom imposes many restrictions on women

By Frank Gardner in Riyadh

Women in Saudi Arabia are making a growing impact on the economy.

About 10% of private businesses in the kingdom are now thought to be run by women, compared with hardly any a generation ago.

Of course mixed isn't allowed. That makes me uncomfortable

Hussa, Saudi businesswoman

They are also making big use of the internet.

But in this highly conservative Gulf state, women still face many restrictions.

Take Hussa, for example. She runs a team of interior designers from an air-conditioned office in a smart district of the capital, Riyadh.

She is a modern Saudi businesswoman - western-educated, unveiled and willing to take a chance.

Mixed staff

Unknown to the city's Islamic fundamentalists, she employs a mixed staff.

Here, men work alongside women in contravention of Islamic guidelines. After years of training in the United States, she finds it hard to conform to those guidelines.

"I wasn't brought up in a way or even used to a way in the US where I would have to be constrained by choosing a female worker if I think that a male is more qualified, or is more helpful to me.

"So there are some restrictions as to the set-up of the office if only male or only female workers are allowed, and of course mixed isn't allowed. That makes me uncomfortable."

Hussa is not the only one flouting the rules.

In all the big Saudi cities, women are secretly working in mixed offices.

The advent of the internet helps them to do business online without having to meet male customers in person - something that is still frowned upon here.

Old rules

But out in public, the 21st century finds Saudi businesswomen still shackled by some archaic rules.

They are forbidden to drive cars, which means that male chauffeurs have to be hired at extra cost.

And they cannot leave the country without written permission from their husband or father.

For all the progress they are making in the economy, Saudi businesswomen are hoping that the next few years will see some of the more restrictive rules relaxed.