The Sayeda Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center for Businesswomen of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) has urged the authorities concerned to make the ‘wakil' (male representative) system optional for women in business. This was stated by Dr. Basmah Mosleh Omair, executive director of the center. “It (wakil) is not mentioned in the application form or on the form of the official website of the ministry of trade. The only thing that is still required is to have a male manager appointed when the business is in a ‘public' place,” Omair told Saudi Gazette before the start of a lecture on conducting feasibility studies at the JCCI on Sunday night. “However, we are requesting to make it optional. She may appoint a male manager or a female manager or herself. Because Article 160 has been removed from the labor law, we have requested the ministry of trade to reconsider the appointment of a male manager,” she said. “The center has received a letter from Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, based on the minister of labor's response, confirming that both Articles (114 and 160) in the ministry of labor regulatory laws have been removed and replaced with a general article for both men and women requiring them to abide by the Shariah law in the workplace with no mention of forbidding the mixing of genders,” she added. About the lecture, she said it was important to know how to conduct feasibility studies because a lot of young women start business without such studies and planning so most of them fail, go bankrupt or face many problems. “This forum will help new businesswomen searching for avenues in the financial and business fields by highlighting steps to prepare economic feasibility studies for any project,” she said. She said that the center would organize lectures, seminars and meetings to increase awareness about culture and economy with a particular reference to female entrepreneurs. Mohammed S. Waked, president, Al-Hada Economic Consulting Center, said that now more women are entering into business and are either far more knowledgeable or are open to study and learn for the betterment of their business. – SG – Fouzia Khan and Farah Mustafa Wadi also contributed to the report __
