This Iraqi restaurant is only for women - and only employs women

Aug 2, 2018

This article is published in collaboration with Thomson Reuters Foundation trust.org.

Women are seen at Luxury Time, the city's first women-only restaurant, in Erbil, Iraq July 17, 2018. Picture taken July 17, 2018. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

There are no man-size portions. Image: REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

Reuters Staff

Our Impact

What's the World Economic Forum doing to accelerate action on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion?

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how Middle East and North Africa is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

Middle East and North Africa

At Luxury Time, a restaurant in the Kurdish city of Erbil, there are no man-size portions.

The women-only restaurant, with its all-female staff, was opened this month by 23-year-old business graduate Tara Mohammed Ihssan who was fed up of unwanted attention on nights out with friends in northern Iraq.

"If you want to go out, it is so uncomfortable because everyone is staring at you," she told Reuters.

Image: REUTERS

"So I have always thought about doing something like this for me and for the rest of the girls to feel comfortable."

The restaurant's sleek, modern interior, with hanging chandeliers and colourful couches, has drawn unwanted attention, however, with some men coming to the door to see what the fuss is all about.

Image: REUTERS

"I have been thinking, if it stays this way I will put security on the door," Ihssan said.

"I find it unfair as all the cafes here are just for men, why can't you accept that there is this cafe for ladies."

Have you read?

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.