Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2000, published 89th ILC session (2001)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Saudi Arabia (Ratification: 1978)

1.  The Committee refers to its previous comments concerning the application of Ministerial Order No. 326 of 1993, which specifies the occupations and activities that women may not perform. In this regard, the Committee recalls that protective measures for the employment of women, such as those contained in Ministerial Order No. 326, should be reviewed periodically in light of current scientific knowledge and technology relevant to those occupations, in order to determine their continued relevance. The Committee therefore repeats its request that the Government keep it informed of any such review, and its findings.

2.  In previous comments, the Committee had requested the Government to provide information, including statistical data, on the distribution of men and women in the different occupations and at the different levels of the civil service. In addition, the Committee would appreciate receiving information on the distribution of men and women employed in the civil service at grades 13 or higher, as well as on any measures taken to promote women’s access to the higher grades in the civil service.