The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is planning to open its first women-only gyms in order to help ladies who are keen to lose weight. However, even though the decision marks a small breakthrough for the rights of females, they will continue to be banned from playing competitive sports such as tennis, volleyball, basketball and football.
The change in policy was announced by Princess Reema bint Bandar, who is vice president of women’s affairs. She told Arab News: “It is not my role to convince the society, but my role is limited to opening the doors for our girls to live a healthy lifestyle away from diseases that result from obesity and lack of movement.”
Under the new rules, the gyms must focus on improving fitness and encouraging weight loss. This means that women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to go swimming, running or to take up bodybuilding as long as there are no men present when they do so.
Princess Reema bint Bandar added that she wants female entrepreneurs – of whom there are a small number in Saudi Arabia – to invest in the new facilities, which are known as ‘micro businesses’.
Although Saudi women are inching towards some sort of parity with men in certain respects, they are still forbidden from driving a car thanks to a religious fatwa imposed by religious clerics. Ironically, however, they are allowed to hold a pilots’ license, meaning they must be driven to an airport but, once there, they are able to fly their own plane.
