Qatar Airways accused of forcing hostesses to get permission before marrying

Qatar Airways has come under scrutiny after it was accused of forcing its female workers to seek permission from the company before getting married.

The International Transport Workers' Federation released a report to the Canadian-based International Civil Aviation Organization stating that the airline also made it mandatory for women to tell a supervisor if they become pregnant.

The female staff could even be terminated if they fail to do so.

The ITF revealed that a standard hiring contract for the airline's female workers reads: 'You are required to obtain prior permission from the company, in case you wish to change your marital status and get married,' Fox News reports.

The contract adds that the employee shall notify the employer in case of pregnancy from the date of her knowledge of its occurrence. The employer shall have the right to terminate the contract of employment from the date of notification of the pregnancy.

According to the contact, if the employer fails to notify the employer or the concealment of the occurrence shall be considered a breach of contract.

The report notes that many of the airline's female employees are non-Qatari nationals and rely on obtaining temporary work visas under a sponsorship programme.