Image Thanks to Feministing!

In the U.S., many people (mistakenly) associate feminism with bra-burning.  But in Saudi Arabia, a new development in women’s rights is involving bra-buying.

Last summer, a decree was issued that employees in stores selling products exclusively to women – namely cosmetics and underwear – had to be female.  (Apparently being waited on by male sale associates while buying new lingerie was so embarrassing as to force women to shop for new bras and panties abroad.)

This might sound like a common-sense decree – or perhaps one further enforcing gendered isolation.  But it’s actually a HUGE step for women in Saudi Arabia, who have previously been banned from working in retail because it might involve interacting with men.

Now the door is being cracked open to the world of retail employment for women, and many women are trying to push through.  Over 28,000 women applied for the newly available retail jobs.

Could this development be a sign that more progress for women is to come?  Middle East scholar Thomas Lippman thinks so.

While women are still constrained by law, religion and custom, more and more are likely to enter the work force. They will be better educated than their predecessors, will marry later and will have fewer children. The range of jobs and professions open to them will expand…These changes will meet entrenched opposition, but the economic and demographic forces behind them seem irresistible.

And with more and more women working outside the home, perhaps there will be greater pressure to allow Saudi women to drive.

Check out this NYTimes article for more of the history and context behind the decree.