However important women become in the workplace, and no matter how many stereotypes they have shattered to get there, they are still sexualised.
How often does an attractive woman in a position of power become the focus of the media, precisely because she is pretty?
There is nothing wrong with noting both beauty and brains, as that breaks the “blonde bimbo” stereotype, which I loathe. But there is no need to always tie looks and intelligence together, even if plenty of studies show that attractive people do have it easier in life.
But I want to focus on something raised this week by a female doctor. Many men will, I suspect, avoid reading the rest of this column just because it touches upon an issue they often make fun of.
At the Arab Women in Leadership and Business Summit in Dubai, Dr Maryam Matar made a speech in which she noted that the decisions she had made that she had regretted were those “directly related to my oestrogen”.
“Before I used to take my period for granted. I don’t care when it’s my first day, when I’m ovulating, when oestrogen is up, when the progesterone is down. Imagine, my dear, the biggest influence you will get as a woman is when your oestrogen is high,” she said, according to a published transcript.
She said that sometimes there are hormones in the body over which you have no control. Sometimes you will make a decision which is not right and you will be angry.
Her statements angered many people who said it was offensive to suggest that women can’t make decent decisions when menstruating.
Nothing irks most women more than when a male colleague dismisses an argument with the words: “Oh, is it that time of month?”
It has become commonplace for some men to make jokes about women and their “moods” during premenstrual syndrome, popularly known as PMS. No chocolates or Nutella jars are safe at that time of month.
Men have a field day with this, but they are not the ones dealing with this pain every month. Hormonal changes are nothing to scoff at.
What happens inside our bodies affects us in every way, from health and mood to relationships. It is not enough that women have to carry babies, they have to deal with some big adult size brats as well.
Men have mood swings and bad days too, but what is their excuse? At least there is a very obvious reason for the women.
But then again there have been studies that prove that even men go through different hormonal cycles that impact their behaviour. Some have called it “irritable male syndrome”, which is triggered by hormonal imbalance and stress.
In short, we all have bad days, and we just have to be kinder to and more understanding of one another.
In defence of what Dr Matar said, she included an important point that I have come across previously. She mentioned a Dubai Court study that noticed most divorces are triggered during the menstruation time.
Several lawyers have told me that they quietly make notes to themselves to ask a woman who institutes divorce proceedings whether she did so at that “time of the month”. So whatever we think of it, PMS does impact lives in more than one way.
Dr Matar went on to mention religion.
“If the divorce happens during the menstruation time”, she said, “it would not be considered as an official divorce,” urging women to avoid taking decisions two days before the first day of their periods, or during the first and second days of menstruation. She also recommend not inviting one’s mother-in-law over on the first day of your period.
While this column may have been too “hormonal” for some, it is important to note that we need to be more aware of our bodies and its changes, and how our diets and lifestyle play into it as, honestly, a bad day can easily lead us to make bad decisions.
rghazal@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @Arabianmau
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Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
WHAT%20ARE%20THE%20PRODUCTS%20WITHIN%20THE%20THREE%20MAJOR%20CATEGORIES%3F
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
Disability on screen
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Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
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