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Economic prosperity has brought greatly improved health care, extended life expectancy and significant educational opportunities. But there was a danger that, as men moved to take advantage of newly-provided opportunities, the UAE’s women might be left behind. Fortunately, Government initiatives and their own anxiety to play their part in the development of the country has ensured that this has not happened. In particular, women have eagerly embraced education and outnumber, and are outperforming, males at every educational level. This enthusiasm for education ensures that women can exercise their right to participate in the labour market and in the decision-making process.
The belief that women are entitled to take their place in society is grounded in the UAE Constitution, which guarantees the principles of social justice for all, in accordance with the precepts of Islam. Under the Constitution, women enjoy the same legal status, claim to titles, access to education, and the same right to practice professions as men. The guarantees enshrined in the Constitution have been carried through into implementing legislation.
Under the terms of the Labour Law, for example, it is prescribed that there shall be no discrimination between men and women in terms of equal pay for equal work. The Government has also ratified international agreements relating to women, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
The contribution of UAE national women to economic activity has increased significantly from a mere 5.4 per cent in 1995 to 16 per cent in 2004. This positive development was due to substantial enrolment by women in education, particularly higher education, a relaxation of social obstacles on female employment and the fact that work was increasingly being seen not merely as a source of income but as a way of establishing personal identity. Although the participation rate of economically-active female UAE citizens rose by 11 per cent between 1995 and 2004, their share of the total labour force is less than 27 per cent.
This underscores the importance of current efforts to target women for jobs. The unemployment rate among national women is at a high of 19.7 per cent or 14,000 job seekers compared to 8.2 per cent for males, despite the fact that women graduates greatly outnumber male graduates. As the Government forges ahead with its policy of emiratisation, women are seen as being more and more crucial to its success. The process is assisted by the fact that role models for women in all walks of life are multiplying rapidly in the UAE, encouraging women to break away from traditional areas of employment. Whether her skills lie in finance, IT, the arts, medicine, engineering, the army, police work or the social sciences, the contemporary UAE woman is assured of finding herself following in the footsteps of pioneering predecessors.
The formerly unprecedented is gradually becoming the norm. This was highlighted by the appointment in November 2004 of the first female federal government minister as Minister of Economy and Planning. Nevertheless, gender inequality remains an issue requiring renewed focus to ensure that individual success stories are no longer exceptional. In particular, there is a need to conduct increasingly targeted and direct interventions to influence policy-makers and legislators and to encourage skilled groups of capable individuals to lend support to and act as advocates for the strategy.
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