# Saudi Arabia Ends Gender-Segregated Restaurants. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 9, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598 "2019-12-09T15:59:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/1 "2019-12-09T15:59:35Z")
I will leave here for good in a few months. Already standards are slipping. Remarkably, some of the people in my office took offense at this. [My Hometown Newspaper.](https://www.arabnews.com/node/1595956/saudi-arabia) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/2 "2019-12-09T16:50:14Z")
They’re really racing into the 18th century, aren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/3 "2019-12-09T17:12:48Z")
I wonder how this will affect their BBQ restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/4 "2019-12-09T17:34:56Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > I will leave here for good in a few months. **Already standards are slipping**. Remarkably, some of the people in my office took offense at this. (bolding mine)What standards are slipping? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/5 "2019-12-09T17:59:22Z")
Earlier they announced that they were going to let women drive, which one late-night comedian noted was just prior to cars being permitted to drive on their own. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/6 "2019-12-09T19:55:24Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I wonder how this will affect their BBQ restaurants. Don’t be ridiculous - everyone knows women don’t like BBQ! ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/7 "2019-12-09T20:58:39Z")
> [@Kovitlac](#): > > Don’t be ridiculous - everyone knows women don’t like BBQ! It’s all beef BBQ anyway. Not a pork rib to be seen! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/8 "2019-12-09T20:59:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > (bolding mine)What standards are slipping? C’mon, man. He’s clearly joking. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/9 "2019-12-10T02:54:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > They’re really racing into the 18th century, aren’t they? The reformers in the government are already going about as fast as they can without risking a really serious backlash, and possibly worse, from the Wahhabis. Instead of caterwauling about the slow progress, you ought to be thankful that the reformers are in power. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/10 "2019-12-10T03:04:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > They’re really racing into the 18th century, aren’t they? Oh, so when they eventually get a backlash it will be the 19th? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/11 "2019-12-10T04:54:01Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > The reformers in the government are already going about as fast as they can without risking a really serious backlash, and possibly worse, from the Wahhabis. > > Instead of caterwauling about the slow progress, you ought to be thankful that the reformers are in power. “reformers?” MbS dismembered Jamal Khashoggi and starves Yemeni children, but he lets women and men sit in the same restaurant, so he’s a reformer. I’d laugh if that wasn’t so sick. ---
**Author:** ![road\_lobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d78d45/32.png) [@road\_lobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/road_lobo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saudi-arabia-ends-gender-segregated-restaurants/844598/12 "2019-12-10T06:13:18Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > The reformers in the government are already going about as fast as they can without risking a really serious backlash, and possibly worse, from the Wahhabis. > > Instead of caterwauling about the slow progress, you ought to be thankful that the reformers are in power. According to the article, the motivation seems to be investors, entrepeneurs, and costs. Segregation is to be no longer required, not made illegal. Maybe the economic argument is a smoke-screen for “reform,” but I doubt it.