Empowering Gender Equality in the United Arab Emirates Workforce

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a relatively young nation. Traditionally, before the establishment of the country in 1971, women were involved in taking care of family and raising children. They traded in local markets alongside with men and produced handicraft items and clothes (Alwahedi, 2015). The leading role in women’s empowerment belongs to Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak. She initiated the creation of the General Women’s Union in 1975 as the national mechanism for fostering gender equality (The UAE Gender Balance Council, n.d.c).

One of the conducted surveys has shown that around 50% of students believed in the economic importance of women in the pre-oil period (AlMutawa, 2016). Consequently, it is worth looking at the current state of affairs. The objective of the paper is to track changes in gender equality policies, especially concerning the equal representation of all women in the country’s workforce.

First of all, equal educational opportunities are crucial for empowering women in their future workplace. The overall literacy rate of women is 95.8%, whereas, in 1975, it amounted to 31% (The UAE Gender Balance Council, n.d.a). Currently, Emirati women make up 70% of all university graduates (The UAE Gender Balance Council, n.d.a). However, the political activity of women and their presence in governmental institutions remain weak. Women were granted the right to vote and run as candidates for the Federal National Council only in 2006. Besides, there are only nine female ministers out of 31 positions (The UAE Gender Balance Council, n.d.a).

Consequently, according to the Global Gender Gap Index, the UAE managed to take 120th place among 153 assessed countries in 2019 (World Economic Forum, 2019a). It is crucial to consider the representation of both Emirati women and expatriates in the economy.

Globally women remain underrepresented in managerial and leadership positions, as well as in the labor force. Women are given fewer economic opportunities and do not have access to capital. According to the World Economic Forum, it will take 257 years to reach gender parity in the economic sector (World Economic Forum, 2019b). The possible solution is to engage women in sectors where they are currently not adequately presented. For example, only 12% of experts in cloud computing are women (World Economic Forum, 2019b). The leader in terms of closing the gender gap by more than 80% in 2020 is Iceland (World Economic Forum, 2019a). Almost 90% of women in Iceland are employed; moreover, they constitute 40% of ministers in the country (World Economic Forum, 2019a). Therefore, political empowerment and equal economic possibilities go hand in hand.

National authorities have launched the UAE Centennial 2071 plan to become a leading country in the world. One of the priority areas is a happy and cohesive society to promote women’s participation in all sectors of the economy (Rung, Fomichenko & El Chedrawi, 2019). Sustainable Development Goals receive special attention in the UAE and are linked to National Agenda pillars. For example, SDG 5 relates to a sustainable environment and infrastructure pillar (National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, 2017). There is a clear division of responsibilities between institutions monitoring the implementation of SDGs.

The particular governmental entity, Gender Balance Council, was founded in 2015 to propose and implement gender equality policies (The UAE Gender Balance Council, n.d.c). The Council works closely with all organizations to assist them in gender equality questions. It issued “The Gender Balance Guide” that features steps and tools for companies and organizations in the country. For example, it suggests employing human resource management policies to provide men and women with flexibility. These policies include parental leave for both parents and flexible working hours to ensure a balanced approach (OECD, 2017).

The UAE government is investing a lot in bridging the gap between men and women in the labor market. In 2019 just 20% of women represented an active workforce of the UAE (World Economic Forum, 2019a). It should be noted that women account only for 37% of expatriates in the country (“Expats in Middle East — Statistics and trends,” 2016). As reinforcement, in 2018, the UAE cabinet approved the law on equal wages for men and women.

These activities correspond to the target 5.5. of the SDG 5 that ensures equal opportunities for women at all levels of decision-making (“Sustainable Development Goal 5,” n.d.). Despite the existing problems, these efforts demonstrate the commitment of the government to work further on the topic. Several issues continue to forestall gender equality and shape public opinion about women in society.

The underlying framework that is supposed to serve as the basis for gender equality is the country’s constitution. It should be noted that in the UAE, it guarantees equality for all the citizens (Al Tamimi, 2015). However, it does not specify gender as a particular category, which can be considered a controversial point. From the legal point of view, women are not adequately protected, which distorts the perception of women’s place in society.

For instance, the Personal Status Law of 2005 states that “a husband’s rights over his wife” include the wife’s “courteous obedience to him” (Amnesty International, 2019 para.16). Women should go through a judicial procedure in order to get a divorce, while men can divorce any time. These boundaries create an image of unprivileged women who have to make an extra step to feel free. Legal inequality elicits social disparities and damages social attitudes toward women.

Gender equality is crucial for the equal representation of people in society. Apart from that, it ensures a balance of power and a fair distribution of social and economic benefits. Its elimination advances human potential and strengthens the country’s competitiveness in the global arena. There is a lack of consistency on the issue of gender equality between different strategic plans and initiatives. Moreover, it is essential to connect SDG 5 to SDG 4 Quality education and SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth.

The statistics mentioned above demonstrate that women of all nationalities in the UAE experience difficulties with economic participation. However, the government’s consistent efforts can improve enabling conditions. Stakeholder mapping is a useful analytical approach for a thorough investigation of the stakeholders. Gender inequality is a complex social issue that involves a variety of stakeholder groups, such as companies, governmental bodies, higher educational institutions, and households.

References

Al Tamimi, E. (2015). Women in the UAE. Web.

AlMutawa, R. (2016). Awareness of Emirati women’s economic roles before the oil boom: Changing perceptions of gender roles?Inquiries Journal, 8(10). Web.

Alwahedi, A. (2015). The development of women role in the UAE. Sail Magazine. Web.

Amnesty International. (2019). Everything you need to know about human rights in United Arab Emirates. Web.

Expats in Middle East — Statistics and trends. (2016). Web.

National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (2017). UAE and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Web.

OECD (2017). Gender balance guide. Web.

Rung, G., Fomichenko, N., & El Chedrawi, N. (2019). Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in the UAE. Private sector contribution. Oliver Wyman. Web.

Sustainable Development Goal 5 (n.d.). Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform. Web.

The UAE Gender Balance Council (n.d.a). UAE women. Web.

The UAE Gender Balance Council. (n.d.b). About the UAE Gender Balance Council. Web.

The UAE Gender Balance Council. (n.d.c). Foundation. Web.

World Economic Forum. (2019a). Global gender gap report 2020. Web.

World Economic Forum (2019b). Mind the 100 year gap. Web.

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Empowering Gender Equality in the United Arab Emirates Workforce

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