Women rise up the ranks in Middle East workplace, shows Bayt.com and YouGovSiraj study (page 2 of 2)

The majority of women at 46% indicated allowances of between one and three months of paid maternity leave, with only 6% of women saying they weren't permitted any paid time off. However, satisfaction with maternity leave wavered between indifferent and low, at 34% and 29% respectively. An overwhelming majority of women at 81%, indicated that their current employers do not provide any day care facilities for the children of female employees, with employees in government and semi-government companies fairing only marginally better (13%) than the average (10%).

The survey additionally tabulates other benefits for working women, including family health insurance, training, flexible hours, part-time work options, children education allowances and extended maternity leave beyond the standard allowance. "Gauging the availability and popularity of these different facilities provides a valuable look at what measures and services employers are currently making available for women, and point to what employers could be doing to further improve the working life for women - especially those that balance their work and a family. This is critical in light of the fact that 80% of respondents have indicated that more benefits would extend their working life," commented Ataya.

The research goes on to highlight the different reasons that women of different nationalities choose to work. The majority of all women said they worked to achieve their ambition in life at 62%, while 61% cited financial responsibility and need as the key factor. The majority of GCC nationals (75%) worked for a sense of achievement, while most Western women (68%) cited monetary independence as the main reason to work; indicative perhaps of cultural trends and societal differences with regard to working attitudes.

"With ever greater calls for increasing the number of the region's nationals in domestic workforces, women have a more strategic role to play in the further economic development and growth of the Middle East than ever before. Data such as this offers a wide array of benefits to HR industry players, recruiters and online recruitment sites like Bayt.com, by providing detailed, considered insights into what it really means to be an employed woman in the Middle East. Overall, these insights serve to offer indications and drivers that can ultimately effect positive change for greater workplace equality," said Ataya.

"In spite of several gender-based disadvantages and additional familial responsibilities, what struck me as being truly remarkable was the sheer determination of women to succeed. This is clearly evident from the majority of women (72%) who said they would prefer to work even if they were given the option not to. The majority are also equally or more ambitious (84%) and work an equal to more number of hours (89%) than their male counterparts. Its time employers sit up and take notice of this vital segment of their workforce as research reveals that if provided simple benefits, it would increase the longevity of 80% of women's careers which will have a long term beneficial impact on the business and the economy as a whole," commented Nassim Ghrayeb, CEO YouGovSiraj.

The data for the July 2008 Women in the Workplace survey was collected online between the period of 4th and 22nd of June 2008, with 2,602 women recruited - 1,515 of which were working - across the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Females aged between 15 and 59 and a mix of local, Arab expat, Western and Asian nationalities were included in the survey.