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‘Sexist’ Saudi job ad triggers controversy

February 23, 2021 at 12:05 pm

Women wait to pick up their orders from a restaurant in a shopping mall in the Saudi capital Riyadh on 4 June 2020, after it reopened following the easing of some restrictions put in place by the authorities in a bid to stem the spead of the novel coronavirus. [FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images]

A job announcement which calls for only men to apply has been met with widespread condemnation in Saudi Arabia, with the Human Resources Ministry rejecting it, the New Khaleej news site reported yesterday.

A Saudi NGO posted the job ad on its Twitter account, stating that the marketing position was open only to men.

A female Twitter user sent a question to the Human Resources Ministry about “this discrimination between women and men in job opportunities.”

A ministry’s official account replied: “The ad violates article III of the work system.”

The New Khaleej said the NGO later deleted the ad.

“Work is a right for citizens… Citizens have equal rights to work without any gender-based discrimination… whether during work or in the work ads,” the ministry said.

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