Bahrain: Ban Proposed On Forcing Women To Stand At Work
A single-MP legislation to stop bosses from forcing female staff to stand all day has just hit Parliament.
MP Hanan Fardan, who put forward this amendment to the Labour Law for the Private Sector, says the current rules amount to a kind of servitude that takes advantage of women's urgent search for paid work.
Her draft law would require businesses to provide seating, upending a workplace norm that, in her words, 'exploits our sisters and daughters' who have little choice but to endure the strain for a wage.
'The 'you stay standing' rule pushed by some businesses is servitude against our sisters and daughters, squeezing them through their dire need for a job, and we have to put an end to it,'
She tied the proposal to a bigger move to keep women in the workforce, saying that a simple seat can mean the difference between exhaustion and steady work. 'Breaking up long hours on your feet does not just ease the body—it steadies the mind and lifts output,' she said.
The submission comes with a call for shops and businesses to display a copy of women's work regulations where they can be clearly seen, giving workers the means to know their rights. It also demands strict steps to prevent mistreatment, including harassment and aggression in the workplace, pushing for a setting where women can work without the creeping fear of being undermined or harmed.
Fardan argued that fair work conditions for women make workplaces run better, keeping staff steady and bosses happy. 'Giving women the means to work well is not a burden—it is sound practice,' she said.
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