WUNRN
Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC): Bahrain,
Saudi
Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
GULF STATES - WOMEN IN LABOUR FORCE
INCREASING - STUDY
28 February 2012 - By Santhosh V
Perumal
The
Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) labour market has witnessed 83% jump in women’s
participation, indicating growing female empowerment in the region’s economy,
according to Al Masah Capital report.
“As many as 1.5mn women have joined the work force in the region in the first
decade of the 21st century, increasing from 1.8mn to 3.3mn, marking an 83%
spike,” it said in a latest report.
However, just over 26% of the region’s female workforce participates in the
labour market, which is an indicative of the traditions and customs still
prevalent in the family unit, which disallows women from working alongside men,
the report said.
As a result women comprise 41% of the population but only 16% of the labour
market, it said, adding Saudi Arabia and the UAE host nearly three-fourth of
total women labour force in the region.
With 1.75mn employed women, Saudi Arabia accounts for 54% of the total,
followed by the UAE (0.70mn employed women forming 22% of the total). The other
four countries have smaller contributions – Kuwait (10%), Oman (6%), Qatar
(5%), and Bahrain (4%).
Stressing that there is a major untapped pool of human resources with only
3.3mn of the 10mn literate women having jobs at present, the report said many
of the GCC countries have taken this trend seriously and are putting into
action certain initiatives designed to widen the window of opportunity.
In September last year, Saudi Arabia made a groundbreaking announcement, issuing
a decree that allows women in that country to participate in polls as both
voters and candidates, and to become members of the Shura and municipal
councils.
The UAE, which has taken up a spearhead role in giving women every possible
chance to be productive, has launched a five-year plan to develop female
leadership qualities.
Qatar and Kuwait have business forums for women (Qatar Business Women Forum and
Business Professional Women) with the aim of helping businesswomen contribute
to the economic development of their respective countries, according to the
report.
“Women are a valuable resource for human development that can be effectively
used in the national economy when allowed to join equally with men,” Mona
Almunajjed, a sociologist and adviser on social and gender issues, was quoted
as saying in the report.
Referring to the Boston Consulting Group estimates of wealth held by women in
the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at $500bn and MEED estimates of
$350bn of wealth held by women in the Gulf region, Al Masah CEO Shailesh Dash
said: “These women of high worth should consider putting some of this wealth to
use in entrepreneurial projects or ventures.”
He said that a study by the International Finance Corporation found that 33% of
enterprises owned by women in the UAE generated more than $100,000 a year
compared to just 13% for similar firms in developed nations such as the US.