Saudi Women & Lingerie Shops: An Economic Love Story

A recent move by the Saudi Arabian government to replace male lingerie salesmen—most of whom are foreign-born—with Saudi women has opened a crisp dialogue about the Gulf kingdom’s recent actions to prop up the local economy. The Arab Spring has shed a harsh light on Saudi Arabia’s unemployment rates, especially among Saudis long accustomed to taking only the best jobs or none at all, a mentality that has long been a drag on the local marketplace and has caused long-term strains on the kingdom’s social fabric.

Over the past few decades, cheap labor from abroad has helped Saudi Arabia’s economy grow handsomely, yet the unemployment rate among youth ages 15-24 exploded to nearly 30% in 2011. What makes this number all the more important is that Saudi Arabia’s overall population is heavily skewed toward youth, and the Gulf kingdom’s leaders are acutely aware as to the role played by unemployed youth in the Arab Spring.

By forcing lingerie stores to hire women, the Saudi government is attempting to do two things: lower the unemployment rate of Saudi citizens, while also implementing a subtle yet unmistakably liberal policy of integrating women into a broader section of society. There is universal agreement that Saudi Arabia has a long way to go in improving women’s rights, yet this simple move has already been hailed as a positive step towards improving the domestic economy and realigning the kingdom’s long-term jobless problems. The Arab Spring did not have to enter Saudi Arabia to foment domestic change, and it’s only a matter of time until economic realities force further positive changes both in Saudi Arabia and the surrounding region.