Monday 24 May 2010

Emirati Women in the Workforce

So I stumbled across this article (on twitter obviously!) and I wondered, if more Emirati Women go to further education than Emirati Men and yet less Emirati Women actually use their education than men... why is this?

Surely if you go to University it is for the purpose of working, and surely if your family accepts/supports your decision to go to University they too are accepting that you will have a career. or am I wrong?

Knowing a few local women, in different working circumstances, some work, some dont, some are currently studying - I wonder if some simply go to university because it is the done thing here, because if you don't you seem to be considered less of a person. or whether some simply go for "something to do" and don't actually intend to work at all, but like the "social status" because a graduate gives you.

I didn't go to University, until 5 years ago I was all my life in my home country, England I went to school there and followed school as most do with College courses, in fact I took several more than most I took AVCE's (several subjects make up an A Level instead of taking an A Level in 1 subject) as well as 2 National Diploma's. I did this simply because I wanted to know more about certain subjects and figured it would be benificial in the work place however once I had finished College for a few years I didn't see any advantage in going to University, especially since I knew some friends who were so in debt after graduating University and also couldn't find jobs and were working in Bars. I was "lucky" enough that I found a decent job straight after college and have since worked my way up into a job that OK is not my dream job, but then a friend of mine was at Uni for 4 years and was made redundant from Woothworths!

When I came to Dubai, things changed I was 21 pretty confident in finding a decent job, which I did yet when I started meeting people the normal Dubai conversation started: "where are you from", "how long have you been in Dubai", "Where did you go to Uni" I found it quite upsetting that people here felt that the fact I didn't go to Uni seemed to make me less of a person which of course it doesn't.

So I wonder if the article enclosed (click on the title) actually fully reflects the situation, are Emirati Women not working because they come across hurdles? or because they don't have to? or because they get married and have children and it is no longer at the top of the agenda?

In the 5 years I have been here Emirati Women seem to play an increasingly important role in the building, education and culture of the UAE. Does the fact less Emirati Women work than men mean they are any less important?

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