Emerging Norms Bump Stationary Traditions for Women in the GCC (3/4)

Shifting Perceptions to Shift Gears

High-profile women chipping away at the “cement ceiling” in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries that were interviewed for The Future of Women Leaders in the Middle East are Muna Abu Sulayman (secretary general of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation), Haifa Jamal AlLail (president of Effat University in Jeddah), Sheikha Hanadi Al Thani (Founder of Amwal, Qatar’s leading investment banking and asset management firm), Shaikha Lubna Al Qassimi (Minister of Foreign Trade for the UAE), Amina Al Rustamani (CEO of TECOM Business Parks), H.E. Fatima Al Jaber (COO of Al Jaber Group), Khawla Al-Kuraya (principal clinical scientist at the King Faisal Hospital and Research Center and director of the Research Center for Children’s Cancer), and Raja Al Gurg (Managing Director of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group). Their comments posted around guardianship provided by education, work-life balance, mentorship, and family support are the means by which female leadership roles are increased in the region. The changing role of women in the working landscape is going to be a critical element of the region’s evolution. Tapping into a wider range of economic participation will shift the institutional perceptions of women leaders.

Troubling Job Availability (Saudi Arabia)

In April, 2014, Al-Arabiya reported that 32 agreements with Saudi companies were signed to employ 5,300 Saudi women in various fields. This push is partly due to the private sector’s push to change the status of working women. That number has jumped from 50,000 in 2009 to 54,000 in 2013. But the language associated with the decision regarding employment of women states that women are allowed to work in any sector as long as the jobs are “suitable” for them. This is troubling because the work environment in which is regulated by harsh labor ministry laws is the same regulator that is not leveraging women’s skills in the workforce.

Women as the Third Billion

Women represent the “third billion” in the world according to Strategy in terms of market size, after China and India. To mirror the importance of the third billion’s participation in economic growth, a survey of managers in the GCC across various sectors reveals that the majority see women’s involvement in leadership positions is a “very important” drive of organizational effectiveness.

Education

The report Unleashing the potential of Women in Asia and the Gulf provide case illustrations from select countries on the effects of enabling diverse groups into the workforce and its positive effects on the long-term economic growth and development on the nation. The report also outlines three key opportunities that help unleash the potential of women in the Gulf. The first key opportunity is to boost basic education initiatives for women and girls to build the fundamental skills needed for workforce participation. Investing in female education in the Gulf region is on the right track with its current numbers of female literacy: Qatar (97%), UAE (96%), Kuwait (96%), and the lowest is Saudi Arabia (91%). Gendered cultural expectations and the prioritization of boys’ education over girls contribute to the lack of educational resources. The gulf countries are some of the better-off countries in terms of women’s education and literacy in the region.

The last section of this report will cover the reccomendations that society and governmet can strategize for a future that can combine the collision of emerging norms and strict traditions for women in the GCC.