UAE As A Platform Of Women Empowerment In The Arab World
Women empowerment has been one of United Arab Emirates's most significant focuses and it’s progress has been indicated/noticed since early on in the late 20th century with Hessa Al Ossaily as the first radio broadcaster. Since that time, the UAE’s leaders encouraged women to get educated and work, and the encouragement has reached a new high with the current generation. Women in the UAE are encouraged to get out of their comfort zone and to thrive for more; not only are they offered encouragement, but opportunities in the workforce as well.
In the past, it has been known that companies would rather choose men when employing, however the mindset has changed dramatically. According to the Dubai Women’s Establishment, Emirati female citizens make up 66% of the public sector workforce, leaving only 34% of male employees. Not only are women working in the public sector, they work in the private sector, furthering their capabilities to different kinds of jobs and areas. You can see women work as athletes, as artists, as scientists, as bankers, as CEOs, as ministers and there is no stop to what they can do or what the country has to offer them.
The progress in United Arab Emirates with women empowerment has reached a stage where other countries are beginning to admire the fact that the government and society appreciate women and respect them. UAE is standing as an example for gender equality for other nations and is changing the way they think and lead, so it’s not only helping the women of UAE, but the women living in other countries as well. As such an important platform, UAE has proven to other countries the positivity of how women bring in a totally different aspect in the workforce, with their innovation, passion and tenacity. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and more have been trying to emphasise the importance of women in their own society. Especially in Saudi Arabia, young women are seeing what Emirati women are able to do and they wish to have the same freedom; they’ve become aware of the rights they have long deserved. The youth around Arab nations are starting to have a voice because of the encouragement to speak up the UAE has allowed them. The successful women in the UAE are also an important standpoint as influencers to women living in other countries. For example, we have Lubna Al Qasimi, 42nd most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes, is the Minister of Foreign Trade and President of Zayed University. Other examples of successful women who opened up opportunities include Reem AlHashimi, Minister of State and Managing Director for the Dubai World Expo 2020 Bid Committee, and Mariam Al Mansouri, the first female fighter pilot of the United Arab Emirates. These women we passionate for success for themselves and for their country and they want women to do the same as they have done, to do. To do something they believe in. To do good for their country. To do good for themselves.
On a different view, some people think that UAE isn’t a platform of women empowerment because the gender equality has not yet reached its full potential. They think that conservative traditions are still followed, and yes they are, but it’s not stopping women today from doing what the believe in. Yes conservative traditions are important, however, for a woman to thrive and to become a success in the society isn’t breaking the traditions at all, it is making use of our traditions. People from the outside world will look upon the UAE as the country that empowers women and promotes gender equality while still preserving the importance of their culture and tradition; and that is a very rare thing to find in other countries.
As stated by Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan, “One woman is worth more than ten men.”, it explains that our leaders care about women empowerment and women in the workforce and the fact that it’s important in building and developing a country to the better, and as a proud Emirati citizen, I believe that UAE has pushed the boundaries in giving women their rights and opportunities and making them feel just as important in the development of the country.
