Shelina Janmohamed is an author and a culture columnist for The National
December 22, 2023
It is nearly the end of the year – a time for annual round-ups and reflections. One that occurs to me is like a drumbeat that has been building in my life year on year, to the sound of a question that might be familiar to many women: “How do you manage to do it all?”
Often, my first answer is, I don’t really know. And that is a deeply unsatisfying conclusion: the questioner gains nothing, and I am left pondering over the nuts and bolts of how it all happens. Is it really just a mystery – that modern women are just having to be superhuman, and somehow summon an unnatural, inexplicable ability to multitask?
No, the true answer is I don’t “do it all”. The idea that I and other women do is, of course, a socially constructed idea – one that says we cope with some superhuman-level emotional and physical workload.
It’s the question that’s fundamentally flawed – especially when it comes to women. And we need to start shifting away from that paradigm of thinking. We are all, in fact, many things, and that is as it should be. No one is, or should be, limited to “just one thing”. I am a mum, a sandwich-generation carer, an advertising executive, an author, a press freedom board member, a podcaster, a wife, a social activist and more. I am, like everyone reading this, a polymath. Sometimes we are more one thing than another, but we are all many things in the end.
So why do we mystify the idea of being a polymath so much?
When we think of polymaths, most of us typically think of men (think “renaissance man”). Yet, when it comes to women, we call it “juggling” or “spinning plates” – something we struggle to do. It is as though even the idea that we can do – and excel in – more than one thing, as women, is mindboggling.
The US founding father Benjamin Franklin is widely lauded as one of history’s polymaths – a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, publisher and political philosopher. His daily diary is applauded for its rigour and focus. But I look at it and think, who in his life is handling childcare, looking after the elderly, cooking food and doing laundry?
It is as though even the idea that we can do - and excel in - more than one thing is mindboggling
Women are too rarely credited with having even one expertise – let alone multiple. If they do develop multiple expertises in the creative or professional worlds, they are all too often derided as big-headed and cut down to size. Their multitasking is unnatural (at least, to men), whereas the male polymath is a natural genius.
Sometimes, I have an existential crisis triggered by working in the advertising and branding industry, because we are told there that your personal brand should stand for “one thing”, or we work with companies to help them have a clearly defined “brand promise”.
I don’t have that singular “brand”. A lot of things keep me occupied. If I’m looking for brand consistency, what joins all of them together? The only answer I can come up with is: me. And the only way any of us can make sense of how many of us engage in a wide range of things is to establish a new norm: it is normal to be many things.
In fact, while we are on the subject of brands and businesses, one of the great modern challenges is that working in silos and specialised functions actually misses the fact that the opportunities of the future lie in places where different expertises intersect. Only when polymaths – and I use that now in the broadest, most inclusive sense possible – are allowed to run riot will new ideas emerge.
So when people ask me how I “manage to do it all”, instead of feeling stressed about it and wondering if I should talk about my “extraordinary drive” (because, you know, there are only so many hours in the day), or humble-bragging (because multitasking and multiple interests is just who I am), I am changing this conversation. We are all many things, and this is the normal state of affairs. We are all polymaths. And for women, let’s stop saying we are “juggling”. Instead, in 2024 you can adopt my new phrase and identify as a “polymath in progress”.
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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.
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo Power: 630hp Torque: 850Nm Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic Price: From Dh599,000 On sale: Now
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
