Focus on creating “women-friendly” workplaces

Gender-Sensitive Policies Needed to Boost  Emiratisation

By Sathya Menon

 

Training and development of national women for gainful employment in the private sector is a key area of emiratization, one that needs to be highlighted and prioritized.

Female nationals face a higher unemployment rate than their male counterparts. This is surprising when national women graduates from UAE universities largely outnumber the men. More than 2,000 - 3,000 women graduate from university every year and can contribute freely to the country’s economy.

The private sector will do well to offer employment incentives to this largely educated and talented pool of female graduates –wooing them into the private sector, tutoring and mentoring them for appropriate roles. This will leave a positive and long-lasting impression on the country’s social and economic framework.

Established in 2006, the Dubai Women Establishment (|DWE) has strived in its noble mission to help Emirati women balance stimulating careers with a satisfying family life by evolving appropriate gender-equality policies and initiatives.  

 

The private sector needs to partner the government in such laudable ventures displaying a  certain sensitivity towards women’s role within the workplace.  For years men have monopolized workplace ethics, setting rules that have intimidated women.

In the past, a majority of decision-makers in private sector companies were completely unaware about the need to accommodate this new breed of intelligent, articulate and well-educated women who if groomed and developed could become important assets for the company.

The time has come to build more “women-friendly” workplaces in the private sector. Incentives for women need not be limited to compensation packages alone but should also include flexible work hours, training and mentoring of women, transport and crèche facilities for women employees and gender-sensitized managers who can deal with high women achievers.

Worldwide, women are known to opt out of the workplace when they hit the proverbial “glass ceiling” or at childbirth. However, gender-sensitized managers can be a big help in creating a challenging and nurturing environment for women employees at the workplace. After all the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world!

(ENDS)

Handy Hints

·       Focus on creating more women-friendly workplaces

·       Gender-sensitized managers needed to create a challenging work environment.

·       Constant training, tutoring and mentoring important to motivate female workforce.

 Sathya Menon is Director, Academics, Blue Ocean Academy, Dubai.