Gender-segregation: Saudi Arabia plans city for women only

Daily Mail: 

Saudi Arabia is planning to build a new city exclusively for women as it bids to combine strict Sharia law and career minded females, pursuing work. 

It is thought the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) has been asked to bring the country up to date with the rest of the modern world with the controversial city, which is now being designed with construction to begin next year. 

It is hoped it will allow women’s desire to work without defying the country’s Islamic laws. The municipality in the Eastern city of Hafuf is expected to attract 500 million riyals (£84m) in investments and it will create around 5,000 jobs in the textiles, pharmaceuticals and food processing industries. There will be women-run firms and production lines for women. 

Although Saudi Sharia law does not prohibit women to work figures show that only 15 per cent of women are represented in the workforce. 

The plan coincides with the governments ambitions to get women to play a more active part in the development of the country. Among the stated objectives are to create jobs, particularly for younger women.