( CNN ) -- In male-dominated Saudi Arabia , women long have lacked a seat at the table of power . That harsh reality was reflected in an Ikea furniture catalog distributed in Saudi Arabia that left them missing from other tables as well . Images of women were airbrushed from copies of the Swedish-based retailer 's annual catalog shipped to the religiously conservative Islamic kingdom . Saudi Arabia turns back 1,000 female pilgrims from Nigeria . For example , one photo in the publication showed a mother , father and two children in a bathroom . In the Saudi version , the image of the woman was removed . The news , first reported by Sweden 's Metro newspaper , nearly made Sweden 's trade minister , Ewa Bjorling , fall off her chair -- or throw one . `` I regret that there is still such a long way to go when it comes to gender equality in Saudi Arabia , which these images clearly show , '' she said . Saudi princess opens up about women 's rights in her country . `` As long as women are hindered from visibility and work outside home , Saudi Arabia will lack 50 % of their human capital . '' IKEA apologized Monday for the airbrushing , saying it `` regrets what has happened and understands that people are upset . '' `` It is not the local franchisee that has requested the retouch of the discussed pictures . The mistake happened during the work process occurring before presenting the draft catalog for IKEA Saudi Arabia . We take full responsibility for the mistakes made , '' the company said . Attaining equal rights has been an uphill battle for Saudi women . Saudi Arabia let women compete in Olympics for first time . There 's been a `` push to get women into the workforce , which religious conservatives are fiercely resisting , '' Human Rights Watch said in an August report . But women are up against a `` different but equal '' notion of gender equality in Islam . `` Men have a duty to provide for women , women in turn must obey their male guardians and care for house and children , '' the rights group noted , citing a 2003 scholarly treatise . The IKEA airbrushing did n't faze Eman Al Nafjan , writer and blogger who tweets as Saudiwoman . `` We 're beyond that right now in Saudi Arabia , '' she told CNN . `` With Internet and satellite TV , there 's really no such thing anymore as blacking out women or airbrushing out women . I would be upset if something like Google was doing it , but for IKEA to do it , that 's just marketing -- it 's not such a big deal . '' Images in international magazines had been customarily censored . But times seem to have changed a bit , she said . A year ago , for example , the shoulders and stomachs in the images of women in tube tops would be colored with a marker . `` They would go through each individual magazine with a black marker and color in any skin that was showing or tear out pages , '' she said . `` Now they do n't . It 's strange -- almost like they gave up . I saw a woman wearing a miniskirt on the cover of a magazine when I was at the grocery store , '' she said . Just the same , she said , censored images are not unusual . `` I do n't think it 's right , but it 's the culture . Even women who wear the hijab who appear in street advertising posters -- you see that their faces are pixelated and blurred . '' CNN 's Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report .
Saudi woman blogger : Given the Internet , satellite TV , `` it 's not such a big deal '' IKEA apologizes for the airbrushing . Saudi women have been fighting an uphill battle for rights . Swedish trade minister : `` There is still such a long way to go ''