The Status of Omani Woman in the Sultanate of Oman - Essay Example

The status of Omani woman in the sultanate of Oman Introduction: Oman progressed from a traditional society to a modern state. With the coup that ended supremacy of Said ibn Taimur, Oman found a new leader, Sultan Qabus. Sultan Qabus was unlike Said ibn Taimur. He did not believe in oppressing and keeping woman in the four walls of a house. He believed that woman made fifty percent of the population. Thus to disbar them from working would mean losing 50% genius of the country. Thus he began on a modernisation drive which he termed as omanisation. Oman transformed from a agriculture based economy to a more diverged economy dealing in oil reserves and tourism. This essay will highlight the development of women in Oman. It will discuss women’s status in Oman, before the rule of Sultan Qabus. It will discuss the modernisation drive in Oman and how the government took active part in rebuilding the nation. It will discuss the measures and policies carried out by the government towards the development of this state. This essay will specifically highlight the contributions of women folk to the society in public and professional spheres. It will state the various achievements and roles of women in the rebuilding process of their nation. The purpose of this essay is to bring out the good status of Omani woman. The status in Oman before 1970: Before 1970 Oman’s economy was dependent on agriculture and fisheries. It was lagging behind socially, culturally and economically. (Al-lamki, 1999). Said ibn Taimur ruled Oman in the period 1932-1970. He wanted to create an independent state and collect oil export revenues. The interior tribes of Oman were however, not willing to cooperate with him. The new imam of the interior tribals established a moment called Omani Liberation Movement. Their goal was to establish an independent state and remove foreign troops. However, the British intervened and ended the rule of imam. Said ibn Taimur moved his residence to Dhofar and avoided the meetings with tribal sheikhs and thus refrained from distributing subsidies to them. He was against modernization. He feared that giving the people liberty to develop will end his rule. He established antiquated laws. He carried out public executions to maintain his fear amongst the people. He encouraged slavery of people of African descent. The isolation and xenophobia that he forced on the country and on Dhofar in particular left Oman grossly underdeveloped, despite increasing oil export revenues in the late 1960s. Before 1970 woman were not encouraged to work in public sectors. They were not give equal rights to education. There were only 3 schools which were meant only for man and no woman was allowed there. The establishment of the modernization: Sultan Qabus era was very different from the earlier rulers. He realized that it was important to develop his people in order to attain self- sufficiency. He took a lot of measures to bring about a positive change in the society and attain autonomy. He took the following steps and measures to modernize Oman. He gave primary importance to the development of National Human Resources of Oman. He took measures to train, educate and develop Oman Nationals.He did not prohibit woman from development. In fact, in his speech he stated that “"The education of girls is never absent from our mind, since women form half of our society." In his speech he confirmed that "Many years ago I said that if the energy, capability and enthusiasm of women were excluded from a country's active life, then that country would be depriving itself of 50 percent of its genius. I have taken very good care that this should not happen to Oman, and I look forward to the further progress of women in my country with the greatest pleasure and confidence." He observed that 55% of the workforce comprised of expatriates and the rest were Omani nationals. He understood that Oman would have to depend less on expatriates and develop its own workforce. In the Fourth Five Year Development plan (1991-1995) he allocated Omani Rials 40 million for the implementation of his modernization plan. He also earmarked Omani Rials 10 million to the Ministry of Civil Service He passed a mandate that required private companies to obtain a ratio of Oman nationals working in their organizations. He based this mandate on the data obtained from the number of graduates passing from various educational institutions. Realizing the importance of education, his government established 947primary preparatory and secondary schools with 474288 students. He did not preclude woman from pursuing studies and thus they formed half of the total amount of students. Higher education facilities in Oman include one co-educational university, Sultan Qabus University of which more than 50% of the student bodies are female, twelve intermediate teachers training colleges, two specialized institutes of health and banking, six technical colleges and six vocational institutes (Sultanate of Oman Statistical Year Book, 1995). Female education has dramatically reduced illiteracy. In 1970, there were no schools for girls in the country. By 1984, 84% of adult women were still illiterate. As of 2002, that has been reduced to 34.6%. Although high illiteracy remains a national problem, women have achieved gender parity with men in education. By 1997-1998, half of enrolled students were girls. (POGAR, conditions of woman) in education, women in Oman have achieved gender parity with men; this is borne out by a 2003 UNICEF report, praising Oman's achievement in closing the education gender gap As per the 2003 UNICEF report, the sultan Qabus University has 15000 enrollments out of which 50% are woman. It also states that 60% of the Omani undergraduates are woman and are studying abroad. In addition to SQU, (Sultan Qabus University) there are: 6 Colleges of Education 5 Technical Industrial Colleges 14 Health Institutes 1 Institute of Bankers Public education, including higher education, is government-funded and free to Omani nationals. Admission is based on academic achievement and merit. For Post-secondary Private Education there are 3 universities and 16 private colleges. Although Oman was the last of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to inaugurate universal education, its young women are in the forefront in that country, both in terms of achieving gender equality in education and in the workplace and ultimately, by assuming greater responsibility in national affairs. (Dr. Funsch, 2006) In 1985 a formal Directorate for Women’s and Children’s Affairs was formed. This step enforced the recognition of status and role of woman in Oman’s society by the government. The Directorates aim was to organize the following Arrange programs for the welfare of mothers and children. Educate woman to eradicate illiteracy. Promote development of traditional and modern handicraft skills Promote benefits of healthy and hygienic environment Teach survival skills Cultivate mind-sets that Omani woman were now citizens of a modern developing society. Nine Women were appointed on senior government positions. Omani women were also given the positions of Senior Advisors, Director Generals and as Director in other government bodies.Women were also allowed to be part of the academic profile of Sultan Qabus University. They were also accepted as Medical Doctors. Sultan Qabus established the economy on the basis of oil export and shifted economic dependence from agriculture and fisheries. (Sultanate of Oman, 1975). This offered a relatively good standard of living for Omani people. However, the focus was not to completely rely on oil reserves. The government undertook a lot of privatization and established diversification programs. For a modernized Oman, favourable labour laws were enacted. There was no discrimination between men and women. There were laws to safeguard women’s interest. The working hours for women are such that they can spend some time with their children. Day-care centres and other facilities are formed to allow working women to manage their work as well as home-front. Omani women's rights in laws and legislation: Following are the steps taken to uphold woman’s rights in law and legislation (Al-lamki, 1999) There are policies on equal employment opportunities and equal pay acts One entire section is dedicated to solving legal issues of woman labour Article 80 to 82 is drafted to safeguard woman’s rights and working conditions of woman. This law helps in ensuring that woman work in hygienic conditions and avoid exploitation. Maternity leave is granted Widowhood leave entitlement is granted Woman whose husbands get postings abroad are allowed to take a break of four years, without pay, to accompany their husbands. Working mothers who breast-feed their babies are allowed to go home one hour early to feed their babies. This one hour grant is allowed for first six months. Working woman working for government organisation work from 7:30 am to 2.30 pm from Saturday to Wednesday. They get Thursday and Friday off giving them ample of time to take care of house-hold responsibilities. According to Dr. Funsch(2006), In both public and private sectors, women are entitled to maternity leave (40 days paid) and equal pay for equal work; Gender discrimination in the workplace is prohibited. Social Security system provides for old-age pensions, disability, medical and survivorship benefits to employed citizens (contributions shared by employees, gov't., and employers). Retirement: 60 yrs. for men; 55 yrs. for women Omani women's role in politics: Interior Minister Sayyid Said Al Busaidy described the orders of the country's ruler, Sultan Qabus in a press conference. He made the following points in connection to the role of women in politics. “ In recognition of the vital part women play in all areas of life in the sultanate, women will henceforth enjoy equal rights with men to stand for election in wiliyats, or voting constituencies, across the country. There will be no difference in the position of men and women. There will be no limit on the number of women who can take part in future elections, either as voters or as candidates. Women will be offered the same opportunities to campaign as those enjoyed by men. They will be free to discuss their ideas and policies with the electorate in the Sabla (communal meeting places), at Omani women’s organizations, in the homes of voters or anywhere else. They will have all the freedom that men have. If women candidates experienced any difficulties in taking their message to the electorate they should make this known to the election committee of their voting wiliyat. If the complaint cannot be dealt with adequately at local level then it will be dealt with at national level. (Lancaster, 2003) With this call to rebuild the nation, women started contributing in ways they could manage. In this era of modernization, women started sending their representatives to the parliament. The forty seat state council comprised four women. The eighty seats consultative council had 2 women. 3 women were deputy ministers. Four women were in Senior Advisory positions, 13 in special grade, and 261 in Grade One (equivalent to Director & Director General). Thus women were able to take part in the consultative (shura) process that helped in taking national social and economic decisions. The figure below indicates the participation of women in government sector. 13% women represent senior government positions. This number is higher as compared to the western counterparts. Figure 1: Participation in Power & Decision Making Positions of Omani Labour by Gender in the Government Sector in 1995 Job (Position Title)  Male  Female  Total  Minister  30 (100%)  -  30 (100%)  Deputy Minister  30 (91%)  3 (9%)  33 (100%)  Senior Advisor  -  4 (100%)  4 (100%)  State Council (Majlis Aldawla)  36 (90%)  4 (10%)  40(100%)  Consultative Council (Majlis ALShu'ra)  78 (97%)  2 (2%)  80 (100%)  Special Grade  60 (82%)  13 (18%)  73 (100%)  Grade One  1,619 (86%)  261 (14%)  1,880 (100%)  Total  1,853 (87%)  287(13%)  2,140 (100%) Source: General Directorate for Women's and Children's Affairs, 1995 In 1999, a woman became her country's highest diplomatic emissary to Netherlands. She was followed by H.E. Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan Al-Mughairy, currently serving with distinction as Ambassador to the United States. In 2003 an Omani woman was appointed head of the United Nations Information Centre, based in Geneva, Switzerland, with authority over an international network of 77 information centres and more than 300 staff. In October 2004 a woman was appointed as Minister of Social Development.Oman has been the first Arab country to appoint a woman as its overseas ambassador and currently three women hold positions on the Council of Ministers (with a 4th holding an equivalent role as the President of the Public Authority for Crafts Industries); another two are undersecretaries in the government. (Ministry of Information, 2006). Dr. Rawyah bin Masoud bin Ahmad el-Bouseidi was named Minister of Higher Education (March) . She was the first woman appointed to high government office amongst Arab GCC countries. One woman was appointed as a Minister of Social Development (October). 5 women were among 30 newly appointed public prosecutors and attorneys general to the legislature (April). Oman is also proud to have been the first Arab country to appoint a woman as a foreign Ambassador. According to the Minsitry of Information even today, Women are playing an important role with their presence in the Consultation Council (Majlis A’ Shura) and the State Council (Majlis A’ Dawla). Five woman lawyers were recently appointed as attorney generals to the legislative. Oman has the highest ranking among its neighbors with regard to women's representation in national legislatures. Women are conspicuous by their presence in the Majlis A- Dawla (State Council) and in the Majlis A- Shura (Consultative Council). The Majlis A ‘Dawla has 8 women appointed by the Sultan . According to the results of the 003 elections for Majlish A’Shura, more and more women were encouraged to participate in voting. As a result, 100,000 of 262,000 registered voters were women. There were 15 female candidates (only 2 were elected). For the first time, candidates were permitted to campaign. One of the prominent woman candidate quoted that “It's not just about women's issues. I represent both men and women in my community" (Dr.Funcsh,2006) According to the latest report updated on the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Centre (2007), 3 women are Government Ministers (with a 4th holding an equivalent rank as President of the Public Authority for Crafts Industries). There are 2 Undersecretaries in the Government. Omani women's contributions in the development of modern state institutions: (Chatty, May 2000, PP.241-254) During the modernization of Oman a group of women formed an Omani Women’s Association. The primary objective of this association was to help economically backward women of the country. Thus association was later incorporated as part of the Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour. In 1984, Directorate General of Women and Child Affairs was set up. A woman of elite class was the Director General. A sub-unit of the Omani women’s association was created for supervision of creation of new branches of these associations all over the country. In late 1980’s women entered the field of caring for the handicapped and disabled. They opened centres for handicapped child and their mother. This gave respite to the mothers who were fatigued. These centres worked more like day-care centres. The women of the elite groups volunteered to run these centres. The Zanzibari or Omani Expatriate community women appeared in the workforce of radio, television and business. The women’s association in collaboration with the government manages a lot of activities to improve the status of women in Omani society. They perform the following tasks Organize literacy classes Teach handicraft skills Arrange family care programs like day care centres, care for handicapped children) Organize summer activities for girls Provide health awareness lectures. Organize social functions Organize exhibitions to display various works Arrange national and international women’s conferences and meetings Conduct workshops to promote social and professional development. Women’s Training Centers - some established by the government and some through local initiatives - have been set up to improve the productivity of Omani families while helping to preserve the country’s heritage by teaching traditional crafts and skills. There are four government centers as well as six non-government centers across the country. All centers help raise women’s general awareness about cultural, health and social issues, develop their productive skills and enable them to make profitable use of their leisure time. The Centers also provide facilities such as kindergartens, information programs and field visits, as well as opportunities to take part in conferences abroad. Women can be seen in almost all walks of life. You can see them at the airport handing baggage security checks. You can see them at Hotels as desk receptionists. Women are working as doctors, dentists, teachers, bankers and entrepreneurs. They are doing this apart from being good homemakers. Their progress is reflected not only in the number in employment but in the increasingly high positions they are taking up in both the private and public sectors. It is likely that Oman has the highest number of working women among the six AGCC states, which also include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Women have also made their presence feel in the civil services and government sector jobs. Approx. 33% (figures vary) Government employees are female; with 13% senior management positions held by women. Women have a significant presence in the Police Force. The Royal Oman Police data reveals that in 1972 two women were recruited for searching female passengers at Oman former airport of Bayt Al-Falaj .In 1974 first detachment of policewomen were recruited & trained, alongside male counterparts at the Police Training School. Today, the numbers of women in the force has increased dramatically, some reaching rank of officers. Some are assigned to Directorate of Criminal Investigations to deal with females involved in crimes or witnesses whereas others are assigned to Directorate of Prisons   Women are not only performing in the traditional professional roles but they are also entering new fields. In April 2004, Oman Air hired the first female avionics engineer in Gulf region. In the same year first female heavy vehicle driving instructor was hired. She was a 32-yr old mother of 5. In February , 2006 first group of Omani women hairstylists and beauticians completed their graduation under a government sponsored program at Noor al-Huda Vocational Institiute Not only were woman seen in various commercial activities, but they were also seen in the realm of sports. In December 2005, first women's national soccer team was organized in Oman (preceded in Gulf by U.A.E.). Oman's Ministry of Sports Affairs has developed a "Women's Sports Development Committee" that encourages and trains women in various sports activities. Omani women now take part in basketball, tennis, sailing and karate. (Dr, Funsch, 2006)   Omani woman and economic activity: In the initial call for modernization by the government women were actively involved and were accepted. However, a lot of Omani males started coming back to Oman for rebuilding their community. Thus there was a surplus of educated male population who had no jobs. The males saw women actively participating in all activities and thus their roles had diminished. Thus a systematic drive to stop women from actively pursuing certain occupations started. Under the pretext of cultural appropriateness, women were asked to not participate or undertake various occupations and activities. According to the research conducted by Dawn Chatty (2000), the role of women with agricultural and pastoral background, in economics is not reported. Most of this population is categorized as house-wives. Their contribution towards generation of livelihood is not taken into consideration. The researcher Dawn Chatty performed a research on the Nomadic pastoral tribe in the southern edge of the empty quarter in the Sultanate of Oman. This area was about 40000 sq km. In this group nearly 10-12 people managed their herds. One herd would generally contain 100-200 goats and 20-25 camels. The smaller live-stock was taken care of by the women and older girls. Camels were taken care of by males and older boys. In order to manage daily livelihood, the men of the family would go in search of graze for their herds and thus be away from home for quite some time. It would so happen that sometimes they would be gone for months. In the meanwhile the women would mange the households on their own. In case of matters relating to finance and coordination with the government authorities, the older women would preside the discussions and take decisions on behalf of other women. In 1986 two women started making key holders for their men. They used their handicraft skills and made the keys in such a fashion that even if they got lost in the desert, with the help of brightly colored wool, their men would be able to search and obtain the keys. Slowly they started making these keys for other members of their tribe for a small amount. Later they started selling these keys locally. In a due course of time the number of women making these keys increased from 2 to 42. They were making keys and selling them in Muscat. Later they did try to get government approval for their association. This took a lot of time. But this case study shows that even women from the agricultural and nomadic background were able to contribute towards the economy. According to the statistics only 8.6% women are economically active. This number does not include, children, aged people and house-wives. The work done by women who herd goats and sheep’s is not considered important enough to be noted. Women, in the interiors of Oman, work in the area of agriculture and animal-husbandry. Their work too is not reported According to Salma Al-lamki, women had learnt to deal with the glass-ceiling developed by men in corporate environment and management cadre. Women still continued to provide their contribution where ever they were allowed. The profile of Omani women labour composition and employment structure is shown in Figure 2. This profile was prepared and presented by the General Directorate for Women's and Children's Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. The statistics indicated that there were 17,946 women working in the government sector; 2,942 in the private sector and 3,119 who owned their own business. The profile of the government female employees indicates a heavy orientation towards the service sector with the majority (59%) concentrated in the Ministry of Education followed by (22%) in the Ministry of Health and remaining (19%) distributed among other government sectors Figure 2: Employment Structure of Working Omani Women in 1995 Place of Employment  Population  Government Sector  17,946 (75%)  Private Sector  2,942 (12%)  Self Employed (Own Business)  3,119 (13%)  Total  24,007 (100%) Source: General Directorate for Women's and Children's Affairs, 1995 Woman have contributed significantly to the world of business since 1995.. Major corporations, with a stake in Oman's development, have also supported womens working in their organization. The Shell Group, has launched "global female attraction recruitment drive" as part of its commitment to increase the numbers of Omani women in the workforce. The UNDP has recognized Oman as one of the world's progressive states in the Gulf region in the area of women's rights. Oman stands out as a model for other countries in the Gulf. Following is a case example of a woman, Sabrah Al-Riyami, in tourism business  Sabrah Al-Riyami, is co-founder of Darran Tours, a leading specialized tour and events coordinating company. Darren Tours specializes in handling ground arrangements for major national events, such as National Day celebrations, conferences, exhibitions and tournaments for VIPs and foreign delegates. In addition, the company can coordinate organized tours of the desert, mountains, deep-sea fishing trips and other similar tours. In December 2003, the first Arab GCC Businesswomen's Forum, was organized by the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) in co-operation with the GCC secretariat general. The aim of this forum was to exchange views and give Omani woman a platform to interact with each other In April 2004, the first "Women in Focus" event took place in Muscat. "Women in Focus" – Oman's first professional female business forum –provides an excellent networking opportunity and a chance to listen to a variety of keynote speakers from around the world. (Dr. Funsch, 2006) Omani women in the media: The government operates Oman's main broadcasters. The first private radio station launched in May 2007. The use of satellite dishes is permitted, and stations from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen may be picked up. A press act allows the government to censor publications for political or cultural reasons. There are more than 20 publications, including dailies and weeklies. Women’s magazines were allowed to be published. Media took active stand in portraying the changing face of women in Oman. In the year 2003 Muscat hosted a three day training course for women journalists in which 26 women participated from Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain and UAE. Thus Omani woman journalists were professionally trained to be efficient journalists. Analysis: The essay shows us that in the era of Qabus, women were encouraged to participate in the re-building of society. Initially this was perceived to be very important since half of the population consisted of women. Thus women were perceived to be potential contributors to the re-building of nation. Oman also had to become self-sufficient and depend less on expatriates. To obtain autonomy it was essential for the Omani national women to extend their contributions to the society. Portrayal of woman as advanced and modern by the state of Oman: The government authorities and media portray the positive development of their women folk. The silent movement against women is not advertised or made public. This however could be due to variety of reasons. In today’s age of globalisation, women are leading and contributing significantly in the nation’s economic growth. Thus portrayal of a state that gives equal opportunities for women gets acceptance in world-wide circles. Women form half of the voting population and thus have major power in terms of electing their representatives as well as bringing about changes The west has generally shunned these countries for disbarring their women folk from advancement. To gain acceptance in the western world, it is important to portray that Oman is a nation that doesn’t believe in gender bias and gives equal opportunities to everyone. By allowing women to be part of public services offices and publishing data on their contributions, Oman is portraying that it is not rigid and fundamentalist in its outlook. Thus it keeps radicalism at bay and doesn’t encourage militant activities. By portraying to be a non-radical, non-militant, gender tolerant state, it is encouraging tourism and inviting people to visit Oman as a developed country. By allowing tourists to come, it is developing a parallel economy which is not oil- dependent. Conclusion: This essay provides a glimpse into the new face of woman in Oman. Omani women are no more mere women in the four walls of their house. They are practicing in their professional fields and also contributing significantly to the society. The power groups and political parties use cultural and religious sentiment to invoke agitation and get their work done. Thus it will be wrong to generalise that Omani men do not allow their women to grow. Women are their wives, sisters and daughters whom they would like to see flourishing. There are lot of instances in Oman where families have worked hard to educate their daughters and provide them with professional opportunities. Not all men are afraid of their women counterparts, but take them as healthy competitions. The performers are never scared of their competitors. The people who are not skilled and are not competent enough to move forward resort to help from such power oriented groups who exploit people under the name of religion. Every society has different types of people. Some are opportunistic and do not allow their fellow beings to develop. In this light, if one analyses the role of Omani women in development and growth of Oman, it would be clear that their contributions have been very significant. As compared to the counterparts in west, they are still better off with 8.6% economically active Omani women. 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