It's not just the men supporting it, many female dune hoppers do as well.
This girl i dated years ago lives in Bahrain for work with her sister. She is Filipino.
When they go to the beach, they have to wear shorts and a shirt, or they get heckled by the local sand people.
And it's the women doing it.
Bahrain is considered pretty open too, not as bad as Saudi or other places.
But yes, it's bullshit. She sent me a bunch of pictures of men dressed normally with their wives and daughters covered from head to toe.
And it's like 100 degrees with humidity.