The Emirati Business Women of Tomorrow

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. This is still a plan, all we have now is a new diploma in insurance and we're working with the insurance companies to make sure that happens," assures Dr Reed.

Faces from Dubai Women's College

Fatima Al Ghasimi: Al Ghasimi graduated in June 2007 and opened her own jewelry company in July 2006. She studied Jewelry Management, a course sponsored by Damas. She is also a member in Hamad Bin Rashid Institution that supports Youth programs.

Al Ghasmi sees that women's role in business has clearly grown. "Today, we see many local women at the executive level. This is something we haven't seen before and it encourages all other women to lead their way in the business world."

Asked if she thinks that local women's participation in business is now equal to that of men and her answer was almost positive: 'I think it's close to being equal, and this is clear in the number of projects run by women. A lot of women are members in the boards of directors, and many housewives are gaining ambition to go out and start their own business."

Khdijah Al Bloushi: Al Bloushi graduated this year from the Information section of DWC. She has already received a number of job offers, including from Sama Dubai TV, which she is most likely to take.

Al Bloushi believes that being a DWC student helped her greatly receiving these offers. "In DWC, we really get all the needed training to join the world of business. What we have learned here made us wanted by many companies, especially the information section students, who apply everything they learn immediately."

She adds: "Personally, I volunteered a lot, including making films for different campaigns. These activities usually come through the Students Council to which I was the vice president. We used to organise a lot of activities in cooperation with other colleges and this has added much to my resume."

Al Bloushi agrees that women have a strong presence in the business community today. However, she assures that Emirates women have previous experience in business, but that it didn't as much of an international reach as it does today.

"Life has changed and thoughts have changed. This paved the way for local women to enter into the business world. And one of the basic facilitators here is the governmental support."

In partnership with her colleague, Al Bloushi hopes to establish a private production company within 10 years. She confesses: "We have all the potential, along with the team we want to work with, which consists 100 per cent of locals."