Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Not only are women in Saudi Arabia banned from driving and have to cover their entire bodies in public, but now they can’t even work up a good sweat at a women-only gym. Government officials recently began to shut down “unlicensed” sports clubs and gyms just for women under the pretext that only facilities connected to medical groups can operate legally. Similar gyms that cater only to men are not subject to the same licensing restrictions.
Women’s gyms have become popular in the ultra-conservative Muslim country, where the sexes are heavily segregated. Many of the clubs now targeted for closure by the government have operated as beauty salons that offer exercise equipment and fitness classes.
A group of women have launched a Web-based campaign (“Let Her Get Fat”) to protest the government’s move, arguing that many women will not be able to afford gyms linked to medical clinics due to the higher costs involved at such facilities.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Saudis Clamp Down on Women's Gyms (BBC News)
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