28 Saudi women work at cleaning materials plant

Twenty-eight Saudi women have started working in a factory manufacturing cleaning materials to provide for themselves.

Despite the difficult nature of their jobs and the hardships of the daily commute, these women have shown a great deal of patience and endurance, Al-Madinah newspaper reported.

The women expressed hope that the factory would increase their SR3,000 monthly salaries out of recognition of their hard work.

The factory supervisor, Tahani Ahmad, is a high school graduate and her job is to supervise the attendance of women and distribute work schedules.

She said she works from 7 a.m. to 4 .p.m., and stressed that there is no dishonor in any job as long as it provides the worker with a legal source of income.

Middle school graduate Safrah Al-Salehi works as an assistant supervisor and she said she has become accustomed to the difficult nature of the work, especially since it provides her with a decent source of income.

Areej Hasan said she received training at an institute before she joined the factory three years ago. Hasan is planning to complete her college degree.

"Our determination has proved that women can in fact work at hard jobs that were previously limited to men, but we hope that the factory management would consider increasing our salaries," she said while adding that she works nine hours a day preparing 200 boxes.

Mariam Abdullah said she was glad when she heard of job vacancies at the factory. She noted that despite the hard working conditions, she and her women colleagues are holding their own.

This article was first published in Saudi Gazette on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014.