The Emirati Business Women of Tomorrow (page 1 of 2)

The Dubai Women's College, which ironically is headed up by a man, has developed programmes to bridge the divide between students and the needs of companies, helping Emirate woman get their start in business.

Around 70 per cent of Dubai Women's College (DWC) graduates have managed to build careers across a range of sectors, a percentage that Dr Howard Reed, director of DWC, describes as significant.

"Given that women didn't always have a significant role in this part of the world, 70 per cent is a great achievement. Some of our graduates have been in jobs since 1992 and by now they are in senior positions, having over 100 people reporting to them. Others have their own businesses, while a considerable number is working overseas."

So big opportunities await local women, although the battle for equality in the workplace is far from over. According to Dr Reed opportunities are beyond expectations, but nothing comes that easily. And he doesn't believe the challenges faced by women who want to forge a successful business career will get any easier soon.

Encouragement is still needed from across the working environment - while the government may have introduced schemes, such as in the banking sector, to encourage companies to employ Emiraties, support is also needed from the private sector.

The other woman

It seems that the main obstacle that women in business face is the woman herself. There's a lack of sisterhood among the female workforce, and while that might seem patronising to say, Reed believes there is a need for learning off each other, and helping fellow female workers over come workplace obstacles. But, he says, over time the support network is growing.

"As I watched women join the work force, whether in the US or in any other country, I've noticed one common factor between them all. Women don't know how to celebrate the success of their sisters, and this needs to change. Women would try to fail other women instead of building them up. And that's why a lot of women would prefer to work for men."

But obstacles in the Middle East are not limited to the feminine factor; it has more to do with the social and cultural formation of the region.
"In this part of the world, there are certainly a lot of males who have sharp views on what women should or shouldn't be doing. So if you are a young lady who has the opportunity to get an education, but your father happens to be someone who thinks women shouldn't work, your chances aren't very good."

Monopoly

It is true that the role of local women has noticeably developed in the previous years, but have we reached a stage where we can see them in every sector?

"There are more nationals in the banking sector and that's partly because the government forces banks to Emiratise sooner than other business institutions. There are industries that local women haven't entered yet, such as insurance, hospitality, media, etc. This is mainly due to cultural reasons, but sometimes certain nationalities monopolise some industries and when a national comes in they give her a bad time forcing her to leave in the end," answers Dr Reed.

We cannot know for sure if the Emiratisation policy is effecting other nationalities, although there have certainly been stories of people, including women, having to quit their jobs because of such as policy. What's certain, however, is that the government will start applying Emiratisation in other sectors if it proves successful.

"There are indeed plans to nationalise other sectors and the next one the government will be aiming at is the insurance.