A Saudi woman working at a lingerie and women’s accessories shop. (AN photo)

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, starting Thursday, will implement the Ministry of Labor rule that only females can work in women’s lingerie stores. The Labor Ministry says that over 28,000 women have already applied for the sales jobs.

The 2006 law banning men from working in female apparel and cosmetic stores has never been put into effect, but the ministry is emphasizing that the law will be implemented on Thursday.

The decision is a historical one as it will open the doors wide for women to enter the labor market. The ministry warned that it would launch a campaign to check these shops and make sure that only women work there. It added, that all arrangements have been made to enforce this rule.

Sources told Arab News that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) has been instructed to help implement the decision. The Haia is considering building a female cadre to oversee the implementation of this law while also observing whether these shops employ women.

Shops that do not employ women will be penalized, even banned from selling lingerie, the ministry stressed.

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