Despite
great strides in education and employment, a large gender gap remains in
positions of status
Women in the GCC countries have not yet made it to the top. While their share
of the workforce is increasing, it is still hard for them to reach senior
positions, which are mostly held by men. Although this is a worldwide
phenomenon, it is particularly striking in the Gulf region where leadership
has been traditionally perceived in male terms. As a result, women in the
region continue to be under-represented in decision-making positions in many
fields and their progress has been slow.
Women's lives in the GCC have improved tremendously during the past decades.
They have become better educated and, according to United Nations data, the
adult literacy rates for women have increased considerably, reaching 90
percent in Bahrain, 92 percent in Kuwait (2008), 81 percent in Oman (2008),
92 percent in Qatar (2009), 81 percent in Saudi Arabia (2009) and 91 percent
in the UAE (2005). More educated women have joined the labor market and, in
2010, the percentage of female employment to population ratio (15+) reached
its highest in Qatar with 50.5 percent, with Kuwait following at 42.3
percent, UAE at 37.5 percent, Bahrain at 31.4 percent, Oman at 23.6 percent
and Saudi Arabia at 14.6 percent.
However, despite great strides in education and employment, a large gender
gap remains in positions of status. Women may be as qualified as men but they
seldom work in jobs with power and authority; they also experience
considerable delay in attaining the higher levels of jobs and income.
United Nations data closest to year 2010 indicate that women's share of key
roles such as legislators, senior officials and managers reached 22 percent
in Bahrain, 14 percent in Kuwait, 10 percent in the UAE, 8 percent in Saudi
Arabia, and only 7 percent in Qatar. Most of these percentages compare unfavorably
with other countries in Asia such as Malaysia (24 percent) and Indonesia (22
percent), and even more so with the USA (43 percent) and Europe (France 39
percent, Germany 38 percent, the UK 35 percent, Sweden and Spain 32 percent,
and Switzerland 30 percent).
Why is the potential of professional women in the Gulf region still untapped?
A number of cultural, organizational and personal challenges hamper women
from reaching senior positions. We live in a patriarchal society where the
social system is still based on the authority of men and women are
discriminated against in the workplace. Men are still holding tight the reins
to high-level positions and women are not encouraged to participate at the
top of major public institutions and private companies.
Another reason is the division of domestic labor, with traditional gender
norms and stereotypes still tending to confine the role of women to
childbearing and rearing.Women are giving up their progression up the
corporate ladder in order to raise their children. The general perception
remains that women cannot dedicate their time around the clock to
responsibilities other than their families
A third reason relates to the type of education women receive and
occupational discrimination, where traditional views on what constitute
appropriate spheres for women's employment reinforce their domestic role.
Most young GCC women graduate in the fields of education and human and
natural sciences, thus creating a gender imbalance in the labor market and
key positions. Work labeled as "female" such as teaching and social
services in the public sector offer better working conditions and a balance
between jobs and family responsibilities.
So, how do women catch up with men in senior management positions? Nowadays,
global corporate companies, conscious of the value of gender balance at all
levels because it helps to boost their output, are more eager to hire and
promote women. Research and evidence indicate that the appointment of women
as top managers can positively improve the performance of a company as they
bring different management styles, skills and experience to the corporate
environment.
Women are positively recruited to senior management positions in companies in
many European countries, in some cases through the use of gender quotas.
Norway has introduced a legal quota requiring that at least 40 percent of
board members of public companies be women. Spain and France have imposed a
similar compulsory goal of 40 percent for female directors companies to be
reached by 2015 in Spain and by 2017 in France. Companies will be dissolved
if these quotas are not met. In Germany, companies are officially requested
to increase the number of women on their boards and a national debate is
taking place on the viability of quotas.
As a result, 30 major German corporations are now seeking to increase the
number of women in senior positions.
In Asia, the government of Indonesia has been encouraging women to move ahead
in their careers. In 2004, the government set a policy that 30 percent of
those holding decision-making positions in the civil service should be women.
After considerable success, in 2011 the policy was extended to the corporate
sector and companies have been given five years to meet the requirement. In
other Asian countries, private companies are active in promoting the
advancement of women's careers and encouraging them to join business
programs.
A growing number of young women in China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and India are
pursuing MBAs and enrolling in business programs to gain access to better
jobs in banks and big firms in their countries. As a result, in India more
women are now holding senior jobs in the information and communication
technology (ICT) industry and in China the number of women holding senior
management positions has been rising considerably.
Today, for the GCC countries to become a dynamic and competitive
knowledge-based economy they need to recognize and value women's talents and
skills. I believe that as a first step on the road to equal employment opportunities
the national educational system for girls should be revamped to respond to
the demands and priorities of a modern dynamic society. Educational
opportunities should be expanded to provide alternatives to the humanities
and social services such as sciences, mathematics, business administration,
and ICT, subjects that are key to innovation and competition in today's
world. Equal education opportunities would give both men and women the same
capabilities and opportunities to perform. It is only through the empowerment
of women and their autonomy in the social, economic, and political spheres
that our society can attain healthy and sustainable development.
GCC governments are making serious efforts to enhance the participation of
women in decision-making positions.The National Development Strategy of Qatar
seeks to increase the number of women in leadership by 30 percent. It is
establishing a women's leadership center to build capacity and increase the
number of women in political, organizational and business-related
decision-making positions. In Saudi Arabia, policy makers are working to
introduce reforms to the status of women, granting them a more active role in
public life and in top leadership positions. In Bahrain, the National
Strategy for the Empowerment of Bahraini Women seeks to achieve the full
participation of women in the labor force and enable their access to
leadership positions in both public and private sectors. In the UAE, the
National Strategy for the Advancement of Women seeks to reinforce women's
active role in both the public and private sectors and to pave their way
toward higher decision-making positions.
In Oman, the National Strategy for Advancement of Omani Women promotes the
full participation of women in economic and social development processes and
seeks to expand their representation in higher positions.
As a result of these efforts, a number of women in the Gulf region have been
appointed to senior positions traditionally dominated by men, including: in
Bahrain, Fatima Al Beloushi, minister of human rights and Lulwa Al Awadhi,
secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Women; in Kuwait, Mudhi Al
Humoud, minister of education and higher education, Maha Al-Gunaim, chairman
of Global Investment House of Kuwait; in Oman, Rawiyah bint Saud al
Busaidiyah, minister of higher education, Assilah Zaher Al Harthy, head of
corporate affairs, Oman Oil Company; in Qatar, Maha Mansour Al Thani, first
female court judge, Sheikha Hanadi bint Nasser Al Thani, founder and
chairperson of Amwal and Hessa Al Jaber, secretary- general of Supreme
Council of Information and Communication Technology; in Saudi Arabia, Nora
Al-Fayez, first vice education minister for girl's education, Lubna Al
Olayan, CEO of Olayan Financing Company and Nahed Taher, CEO of Gulf One
Investment Bank; in the UAE, Sheikha Lubna al-Qassimi, minister of foreign
trade, Fatima Al Jaber, CEO of Al Jaber Group and Hanan Al Tamimi, senior
manager, tendering & engineering at Dubai Electricity and Water
Authority.
In light of the success of quotas in Norway and Indonesia, I believe that the
use of a quota system for a more gender-balanced professional environment may
work in GCC countries provided that only women with the right qualifications
and experience are selected for senior positions. But although quotas will
put pressure for change on public institutions and business companies, they
cannot offer the sole solution. Society also has to acknowledge that women
can be as successful as men and can perform as effectively as men in senior
positions. To achieve this, we need to raise awareness that women can
contribute not only through their role as mothers but also as active agents
in society and as successful future leaders, making a shift from the
traditional view that labels women solely as housekeepers and child-raisers
to a more progressive one that accepts women as breadwinners capable of
holding decision-making positions. Motherhood should not be seen as a brake
on women's development. On the contrary, it is a most valuable role, which
cannot be measured in financial terms. However, both parents have a
responsibility for the upbringing of their children. We need also to
establish childcare facilities and nurseries in workplaces to help working
mothers in their career.
To develop workingwomen's skills in decision-making and leadership and help
them realize their full potential, we need to provide training, career
development initiatives, mentoring programs, and networking opportunities. We
also need to initiate gender mainstreaming policies and mechanisms in
companies and major public occupations to allow women to join equally in the
social, economic and political life of the country. Governments, civil
societies including nongovernmental organizations and the private sector should
work hard to promote women and guarantee gender balance in senior positions.
Today, professional women in the Gulf region are ready to face the challenges
of leadership; their expectations are rising and they are demanding more
gender reform and change in society. It is important to empower them with
both family and government support, and to recognize their exceptional
skills, clear vision and hard work.