As debate rages in the Kingdom over the pace and manner of women's entry into the workplace, a young woman and her mother have taken the initiative to start their own business, with the help of the government. Razan is a young Saudi electronics geek who operates her own software and computer maintenance shop, with the help of her mother, in a woman's only exclusive market in Onaiza. Razan opened her shop following an initiative launched by the Qassim Girls' Education Department to help Saudi women start their own computer careers. Razan's mother helps her with marketing new computer software and cell-phone gadgets. “The women practice their new careers in areas separate from men,” said Haifa Al-Saleem, head of the Career Initiative Program, who assured the families of segregation. The initiative has been embraced by families who have sent their daughters to embark on the new computer maintenance career, she said. “The education department has planned the project carefully to ensure its success. There were some teething problems, but they were sorted out,” she added. Future plans would help women to start home-based businesses where they could fix computers at home and get them delivered to customers, she said. The issue of women in the workplace, and women's rights in general, has sparked fierce debate in the Kingdom. Human rights and women's activists have been calling for more job opportunities to be provided for women. They have complained that men, mostly expatriates, still serve women in lingerie shops, causing much embarrassment to women customers. These jobs could be reserved for Saudi women, they argue. Activists also want women to have jobs in the legal industry. Currently women are allowed to study legal courses, but have not been able to become lawyers or judges. Activists have also argued that women are entitled to the same legal status as men; and they also want women to be allowed to drive.
