UAE dress code for women is based on respect for the cultural values and the religion of the UAE. The rules of UAE dress code for women are not stringent and by abiding those rules will make your visit or stay even more pleasant one and will also help you avoid any offence as per UAE rules.
UAE has varying degrees of acceptance to clothing styles from around the globe. Although there are some legal guideline as to what is not acceptable, particularly in Sharjah which has its own courtesy laws, but in generally people are allowed to wear whatever they but within reason. If you like to expose more of your body than commonly accepted in the office place, or wish to wear what many would regard as extreme, offensive, or off-beat clothing, then it would be wise to fine tune your dress code to UAE dress code for women, especially outside Dubai, as Dubai has flexible rules as compared to other UAE emirates.
Don’t fret; UAE dress code for women doesn’t have extreme rules that women can’t abide by. Women do not have to cover their heads, faces and hair with a scarf or something similar when in public, although Muslim women of Gulf Arabs, mostly cover their hair, faces, heads with scarf for cultural and religious reasons. But, if you are planning to visit a Mosque, then you have to cover your hair, body and legs, although covering the face is mandatory.
It is always respectful to respect the values and culture of that country. To be courteous of the UAE culture, it is better to remain covered from shoulder to the knees. Though sleeveless t-shirts are fine but spaghetti tops may not be respected in public areas. Also, very tight or low-cut t-shirts are also considered unpleasant.
It’s best to keep the skirt length below the knee level. As skirts get shorter in length, there is great risk of male attention and the worst case scenario might be police arrest and fine.
It’s advised that while visiting formal places e.g. government offices (visa, hospital, driving license), women are required to dress more conservatively. As in these kinds of places formal dressing is preferred and respected as well. Also in more customary areas such as villages, schools, markets and such other areas, short skirts are not considered suitable for women, and long-skirts below knee length are favored. Western tops with deep neck lines are strictly prohibited as they term it against the values of women.
The official dress code for women is that women can usually wear similar clothing as when working in their home countries, but anything extreme should be termed as unpleasant yet offensive. Women are expected to wear dresses or knee-length skirts or full length trousers, with t-shirt sleeves covering the upper arm of their body. But, the best thing would be to check with the company you are working in if they have any official dress code or dress code policies or better still, is to be traditional when you first arrive.
You must have heard the famous idiom “When in Rome do as the Romans do” so when in UAE, all you have to do is conform to the norms and follow the UAE dress code for women.
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