The UAE leads the Middle East in encouraging women into private-sector management but still lags behind most developed economies.
Participation at board level, especially in business and financial services, is particularly low, with women holding just 1.5 per cent of seats across the board. The situation for Emirati women is worse still. Emirati women make up 66 per cent of the public-sector workforce but just 4 per cent of the privatesector at any level.
Changing this imbalance is key to achieving equality and to meeting the government's Emiratisation targets. It is not right that 50 per cent of the population is absent from the top tier of business, or that 50 per cent of Emiratis are lacking from the private sector. Moreover, it is widely recognised that increased female representation, especially at board level, leads to greater financial success.
The UAE should be in a good position to address this.
To start, the World Economic Forum ranks this nation first out of 14 Arab countries in gender diversity. This is partly thanks to an excellent education system, where 77 per cent of women go to university.
Second, the Government has made a commitment to get Emirati women into work, and they now fill about two thirds of government jobs. But the story in the private sector is very different, and especially in industries such as commerce and financial services.
It will not change without action. A survey last year by the Emirates Foundation showed that only 3.4 per cent of female graduates found banking an attractive career.
There are many reasons for the imbalance. Expatriate families have often moved to follow the man's career, with good salaries making secondary income unnecessary. The pressures of childcare and lack of family support networks also make it harder for the woman to work.
For Emirati women, the reasons may differ. Many marry soon after graduation and may then feel that they want to make a home instead of a career. Even if they do choose to work, they are more likely to work for the Government, where pay is higher, hours are shorter and there is greater job security.
In any case, by graduation the choice has often been made. Historically, there has been a well-paid, flexible job in the public sector waiting for Emirati graduates. This means there is little incentive to study subjects such as business or finance and less still to take postgraduate courses or get postgraduate qualifications in these areas.
However, this is likely to change, and increasingly Emiratis will need to look to the private sector for jobs.
And to get jobs in positions of leadership, they will need to have the right qualifications. For business and finance, this typically means having internationally recognised professional qualifications. Institutions, the Government and business all need to work together to raise awareness of these career options for young women at school level and then again in the universities.
Entering the workplace is one thing. Staying and flourishing is quite another. It is notable that there is a lack of women in senior roles, and again there is no single reason.
Partly it can be down to the "career break" problem - having taken a break to raise a family, women can find it difficult to return to work and may have missed the vital "promotion years" that their male colleagues have used to develop successful careers.
This is especially true in financial services, which is why many organisations have set up networking schemes for female professionals. Women can also sometimes find the corporate world has moved on or adopted new practices, which is why programmes aimed at helping women to develop new skills are also a great way to help them back into the workplace.
The second major problem is the lack of mentors. A shortage of women at the top means there are few role models for younger professionals. Mentoring schemes are a good way to address this deficiency, and they offer additional opportunities for networking, peer learning and training for management.
Yet another reason for the "glass ceiling" could be a cultural perception harming promotion chances. When women are competing with men for senior roles, expatriate businesses may imagine a woman will struggle to command respect because of perceptions about the Middle East.
Altering this will take time, but the more high-profile women who are seen in leadership positions here, the faster that change will come.
This is where the Government has a role. Strong public support from the Government for bodies such as the Abu Dhabi Business Women Council and the Dubai Women's College has shown that women are not culturally inferior in the Emirates.
The UAE has reason to be proud of its record regarding women's rights, but there is more to be done. The three keys to getting more women, and especially more Emirati women, into business and finance are awareness, education and experience. This means that input is needed from all parties:the Government, business and educational institutions. By working together the UAE can ensure that the talent of 50 per cent of the population does not remain untapped.
Amanda Line is the Middle East regional director of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
QUARTER-FINAL
Wales 20-19 France
Wales: T: Wainwright, Moriarty. Cons: Biggar (2) Pens: Biggar 2
France: T: Vahaamahina, Ollivon, Vakatawa Cons: Ntamack (2)
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Watch live
The National will broadcast live from the IMF on Friday October 13 at 7pm UAE time (3pm GMT) as our Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi moderates a panel on how technology can help growth in MENA.
You can find out more here
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
'Ashkal'
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THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
