Expat women will continue to require their husbands’ permission to start a business in Bahrain.
This followed the Shura Council yesterday rejecting, through a tight vote, a proposal by five members led by Dr Fatima Al Kooheji to omit ‘discriminatory’ Article 14 from the 1987 Commerce Law requiring an expat woman to have her husband’s permission to open a business.
Foreign affairs, defence and national security committee vice-chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said commercial rules in Bahrain were clear in that all citizens had equal rights.
“This doesn’t include expat women, who should get permission from their husbands to open or continue a business in the country in line with special conditions stated in law.”
However, member Dr Abdulaziz Al Ajman said expat women married to Bahrainis should be treated as Bahraini women.
“This legislation is old and needs to be changed.”
Member Mr Ali Al Aradi said the article only asks for a husband’s agreement, not permission.
“It is a conditional approval in that guarantees are made should anything go wrong in a business opened by an expat woman,” he added.
“The husband needs to acknowledge the terms of such eventuality.”
Member Abdulla Al Nuaimi said that there was a reason for the article.
“For us to decide to omit it, we need to know why it is still in law for the past 37 years.”
Shura’s second vice-chairwoman Dr Jihad Al Fadhel said in the West and in some African and southeast Asian countries this rule probably exists because of unified financial accounts, requiring the consent of both partners.
“Here, we don’t have this rule because a man or a woman is seen by law as separate individuals,” she said.
Meanwhile, the chamber also unanimously voted to indefinitely withdraw proposed new rules aimed at ensuring peace and quiet in areas hit by loud construction work.
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