When it comes to stereotypes, women around the world face different experiences depending on their background, their cultural setting, their industry and a whole host of other variables.
Most are based on a lack of knowledge.
A top Emirati government leader has spoken of the gender stereotyping she and other Arab women have faced when on the international stage.
Razan Al Mubarak, the first woman to serve as secretary general of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, is campaigning to be president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The organisation is responsible for the Red List of Threatened Species, a comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of animal and plant species.
Ms Al Mubarak is running against two other candidates for the role, and the election takes place in September.
Perhaps now that I am campaigning, I am struck more by the residual stereotype of an Arab woman
Razan Al Mubarak, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi
If successful, she will become the first Arab woman to lead the organisation – and only the second woman to hold the position since it was established almost 75 years ago.
It will also top a long list of personal firsts for Ms Al Mubarak over the course of her 20-year career.
Speaking to The National on International Women's Day, she said female empowerment is a journey and challenging stereotypes is a "duty".
“I am always asked this question about, 'have you encountered stereotypes in your work'?” said Ms Al Mubarak, 41, who is from Abu Dhabi.
“I can honestly say that I wasn’t stereotyped. Maybe I was too young and too naive to recognise that I had been stereotyped early in my career," she said.
"But I am hearing more [stereotypes] internationally now that I am campaigning, than I ever had in the UAE.
"Perhaps now that I am campaigning, I am struck more by the residual stereotype of an Arab woman, and it has been a great privilege be able to turn this on its head.”
Ms Al Mubarak is one of many women working in the scientific field in the UAE, a fact many observers outside the country – and even some living in the Emirates – appear not to know.
Women account for more than half of UAE graduates who hold degrees in science, technology, engineering or maths and Ms Al Mubarak said four of the primary environmental agencies and groups in the country are led by women.
These organisations are: the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, Emirates Nature – World Wildlife Fund and the Emirates Environmental Group.
Not only that, but half the members of the Federal National Council, the country's advisory legislature, are women, as well as a third of the Cabinet.
And women in the UAE fare better than most peers in terms of equal pay, says Ms Al Mubarak.
“According to the World Economic Forum, the UAE ranks second in wage equity,” she said.
“So you see we have made all of these strides in gender equity.
"And what I want to say – especially since we are such a transient population, with people coming for two years and perhaps not recognising – is that actually, this movement started way before these modern times, with the establishment of the country."
Her father, Khalifa Al Mubarak, served as the UAE's ambassador to France from 1980 until his death on February 8, 1984, when he was assassinated outside his Paris apartment.
The Arab Revolutionary Brigades claimed responsibility for the killing.
The group also claimed responsibility for blowing up Gulf Air Flight 771 from Karachi to Abu Dhabi in 1983, killing 112 passengers and crew.
Ms Al Mubarak has childhood memories of taking part in programmes created by the General Women's Union, which was founded in 1974 by Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the UAE.
A history of emancipation
“What they were doing then was investing in social infrastructure to ensure that we go through this cultural revolution understanding that we will not be able to successfully develop, if we do not empower women,” Ms Al Mubarak said.
“It’s [thanks to] this sort of consistent and institutionalised vision from the earliest, from the Founding Fathers and Mothers of the UAE, that we are now reaping the benefits.”
Ms Al Mubarak's own story started 20 years ago, after returning from the US with a degree in environmental studies and international relations.
She was driving one day in the capital when she spotted a sign for the Environment Research and Wildlife Development Agency, which preceded the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
Ms Al Mubarak says she walked in and asked to join.
She did join, and later went on to establish Emirates Nature – WWF, an affiliate of the WWF. She is now managing director of the UAE group.
It had an urgent task, to help protect the UAE’s environment from the rapid pace of development.
It seems to be a little bit, almost misleading, to say the successful woman is a working woman and even better if she is a mother because she has to balance work and life
“It was a race against time. We didn’t have the experience,” she said.
“We didn’t necessarily have the legislation to begin, but the development was happening so quickly. So you really had to be innovative and catch up and continuously engage with [others].”
In 2008, she became the founding managing director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. The organisation provides small, targeted grants for thousands of grass roots conservation projects around the world.
In 2011, Ms Al Mubarak became the first woman to serve as secretary general of the Environment Agency. Seven years later, she was promoted to its board of directors, a post she still holds today.
Challenge of work-life balance
Many would consider her to be the definition of a successful woman, balancing a busy career with the demands of being a mother to her four-year-old daughter.
Yet this description makes her uncomfortable.
“It seems to be a little bit, almost misleading, to say the successful woman is a working woman, and even better if she is a mother because she has to balance work and life.
“I find that limiting. I think it’s important that we celebrate all types of women – working women, non-working women, mothers, single women," said Ms Al Mubarak.
“I have led an institution of 1,000 employees and then I became a mother afterwards. Motherhood is much more challenging than leading a 1,000-plus institution.
"And perhaps sometimes maybe we don’t necessarily celebrate that enough.”
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MADAME%20WEB
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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
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
More on Yemen's civil war
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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The%20BaaS%20ecosystem
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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
Napoleon
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
