Qatar Women: A New Generation of Leaders - Essay Example

Qatari Women Education as a Basis for Participation in the Labor Force Education is viewed as a major tool for personal and career development in the contemporary society. It is a significant human capital investment that empowers individuals to act in an informed manner as regards the day to day operations. Knowledge is significant for economic development and with this realization; the Qatari government is striving to ensure that citizens have access to education for the country to accomplish its social and economic development goals (Goldman et al. 2007). There have been reforms in the education system within the country aimed at improving the level of education among the Qatari citizens. The K-12 reform in education was a significant move towards improvement in the country’s higher education system (Bahry and Marr, 2005). It was meant to promote post-secondary education through scholarships, which are important in supporting the students who might be ambitious and capable to learn but are unable to pay the tuition fees. There were also strategies aimed at promoting higher education in Qatar to world class level, which included encouraging prestigious global institutions to establish in the country. Qatar University was restructured to conform to the modern requirements of higher education institutions. In all the reforms, women and men were accorded equal opportunities for education. Affirmative action encouraged women to take advantage of the reforms, which led to the emergence of an educated population of women ready to take up challenging roles in healthcare, legal profession, business and other economic activities (Goldman et al. 2007). Without limitations as to the sex that should be educated, boys and girls are competing on equal grounds, which have made it possible for women to outcompete men in higher education. Bahry and Marr (2005) noted that there is high retention of girls in schools than it is for boys. The number of girls who are completing secondary level is therefore higher than boys. Moreover, studies indicate that girls are passing exams without special treatment (Planning Council, 2005). Opportunities for boys are many since some employers are still clinging to the conventional believes, which might be the reason for boys to discontinue with education in favor of unskilled labor. On the other hand, such tendencies are motivating girls to continue to higher education for the reason that there are no employment opportunities for them in the unskilled low paying labor intensive jobs. The women who are therefore joining various professions in the country are therefore increasing over the years. Qatari University is among the institutions of higher learning that have been experiencing decreasing numbers of male students. The males are purported to be 30 percent compared to the 68 percent of females who are among the eligible candidates for higher education in the mid 20s, which are the years that most students join University in Qatar (Goldman et al. 2007). With increased competition in the labor market, and the need to have as many graduates from institutions of higher education absorbed in economic activities where they can earn a livelihood, nations in the gulf region are turning towards the knowledge economy. Qatar is among them, with special focus on the country’s youth who are likely to encounter challenges in finding placement in the public sector. The Qatarian strategies for the knowledge economy are usually based on generation of new products and managing the organizational processes or developing means to deal with economic limitations through educating men and women for them to accomplish self sufficiency. It involves creation of knowledge and managing it to accomplish financially viable projects. In most cases, the activities involved are focused on the generation of job opportunities for the Qatari citizens (Planning Council, 2005). Women as well as men are given equal chances in the country to come up with innovative ideas that can enhance economic development. Rooney et al. (2005) argue that the Qatarian perspective as regards the knowledge economy draws its principles from the information society. In other words, its roots are based on the knowledge and the skills possessed by individuals, which are vital components of human capital. It is argued that when people acquire education and the knowhow to accomplish tasks, they are capable of developing an intellectual product that can be traded in such as the transfer of knowledge, which is valuable like any other business product. New knowledge is generated throughout an organization’s lifecycle, which is significant in the accomplishment of organizational goals. The institutions of higher learning in Qatar have many women scholars who are investing in education. They earn their livelihoods from transferring their knowledge. A knowledge worker is a critical thinker who does things right and continues to expand the scope of his/her capabilities (Hearn et al. 2003). In other words, it is not limited as to the extent of reasoning for women and men in Qatar. This helps in maintaining constant advancement in the societal capabilities for accomplishing the development goals. The unfailing ideas generated in a knowledge economy form the fundamentals for development. In essence, the advancements in the Qatar society are attributed to the economic reforms to allow the knowledge society to develop and maximize the use of human capital regardless of gender. Challenges facing Career Oriented Women In spite of the government’s efforts to promote education for all Qatar citizens, there are drawbacks that hinder the accomplishment of educational and career ambitions for the career oriented women. Failure to acquire the required education to pursue desirable careers remains a major challenge that needs to be addressed. In spite of the educational reforms leading to scholarships for the ambitious women who might be unable to pay tuition fees overseas, women are overwhelmed by social responsibilities such as taking care of children and husbands as expected by the society, public point of view as regards women travelling abroad to study and traditions are among some of the hindrances for career oriented women to accomplish their ambitions (Bahry and Marr, 2005). They are usually left with the options of Qatarian based graduate studies, which may not be exhaustive of the graduate programs offered abroad. The local institutions of higher education offer a wide range of courses at the under graduate and diploma level but not all are provided in graduate studies thereby necessitating studying overseas. Women are therefore limited from acquiring post graduate education (Supreme Council for Family Affairs, 2004). With the employers demanding high level skills, women may not have an opportunity for career development. Apart from education, women are also faced with workplace challenges whereby they are required to accomplish tasks similar to their male counter parts. The government promoted equality in the workplace but failed to give special considerations to the needs of women. They have a role to play in bringing up the children especially when the newborns who need most of their time. Some women usually prefer to take part time jobs so that the other part of their time can be spent with the children. However, part time workers have a lot to loose in terms of employment benefits (Hughes, 2003). Careers of Qatari Women Since the social and political reforms allowing women to participate in economic development activities, they have mainly been attracted to a few careers among all the employment opportunities available in Qatar. For example as Bahry and Marr (2005) observe, education, healthcare and secretarial are among the major careers that women prefer. Information regarding the trends in career choice has not yet been clearly established. However, it is usually presumed that these careers are less demanding than many other careers that are assumed to be predominantly for men. The women are also found in the legal profession, supervisors and legislators. Hughes (2003) noted that the engineering, finance and construction careers are not impressive for women. This can be traced back to schools where subjects leading to engineering courses are rarely taken by girls. It has all along been assumed that girls can not do well in mathematics and science subjects. However, this claim can not be substantiated considering the performance of girls compared to boys in these subjects. The inferiority complex instilled among girls at a young age might be the reason for their phobia as regards the subjects that are regarded as difficult. Bahry and Marr (2005) assert that girls who are instilled with fear can not try difficult activities even in their adulthood. However, those who are encouraged at an early age are capable of out performing the boys and may pursue careers that seem masculine. Nevertheless, this does not explain the absence of Qatari women in the engineering profession. There is therefore a gap in regard to this field that needs to be researched to come up with useful information that can bring the desired changes in the workforce. The major issue with the Qatari women’s career choice is the fact that the job market has been flooded as many of them are focusing on the same career. Lack of diversification has led to a surplus in the number of people who are interested in the available opportunities such as teaching which is among the most preferable (Bahry and Marr, 2005). In the past decade, there have occurred tremendous changes in career choice among women. However, the question that remains unanswered is whether the new trends in diversification are heartfelt or whether they are taking other careers such as security, doctors, bankers and other careers traditionally meant for men in the country due to compulsion by circumstances. The most satisfying career is that which an individual chooses not because of circumstances but as a result of understanding and personal interest in pursuing it. For example, women might take up other professions for example in the construction industry but may not be effective due to lack of satisfaction (Hughes, 2003). However, as Bahry and Marr (2005) observe, women have taken up challenging roles over the past decade and have been found to be committed performers just like their male counter parts. This has led to a change of attitude among top managers and organizations have begun engaging on corporate social responsibility to support education of the girl child. There is also an important aspect of Qatari women’s career choice. While studies have established that the Qatari men are focused on the wages while choosing their career, women have been found to pay less attention to the wages (Bahry and Marr, 2005). Rather, their attention was found to be focused on the work environment. They preferred calm workplaces with mixed gender. They also preferred to work in the low social class. This is different from the male workers who were found to prefer high social status in the workplace. Studies among Qatari women established that they are mainly interested to work in the private sector, contrary to the male workers who were more interested to work in the public service. Women have also been found to have interests in entrepreneurship. They invest in small businesses such as in the beauty industry (Planning Council, 2005). The factors affecting career choice among the Qatari women are wide-ranging. Studies indicate that they are greatly influenced by religion as well as their family backgrounds. For example, they will not accept job offers that conflict their religion or that which may offend their parents (Supreme Council for Family Affairs, 2004). They also choose careers that raise their self esteem and those that the society appreciates as helpful. For example, nursing is among the jobs that the society attaches importance due to the care and comforting attitude associated with it. Nurses are thought of as caring and friendly to children, the ailing as well as the old. Qatari women were found through studies to be biased towards such characteristics and hence most of them chose nursing other than medicine. Many also chose teaching because it is associated with passing significant knowledge to children, a profession that has some commonalities with nursing in terms of self esteem and respect in the society (Bahry and Marr, 2005). Another major influence towards the choice of career is the ability to spend substantial time with the family. The women have been found through studies to be attached to their nuclear and extended families than the male counterparts. They therefore tend to shun from careers that might take them far from their families. This attribute explains the existence of only a small number of women working in foreign countries. An interesting aspect of the productivity of Qatari women in the workplace is the fact that they uniquely maintain their commitment and competent in the workplace at their reproductive years as well as during their advanced age (Planning Council, 2005). In part, this trend can be attributed to the fact that women involvement in the workplace is a new phenomenon in Qatar and therefore those who have acquired employment opportunities maintain commitment. Moreover, UNDP (2005) reports that the rising cost of living requires multiple income sources for families to accomplish their household and development needs. Women are therefore playing a significant role in enhancing the socio-economic welfare of their families. The perception of the society has also changed and the traditional view of women has changed to that of respect and admiration for those who are capable of providing for their families. Joblessness has also affected the society and married men need assistance of their spouses in providing for the children. Some women have also been found to work seeking self actualization. With the socio-political changes that occurred leading to education of women and inclusion in many aspects of the society, some Qatari women have gained courage and are focused on utilizing the knowledge acquired to accomplish self satisfaction. Some have been empowered by the new opening that helped to prove themselves as regards competing with men. They would like to demonstrate that they have equal capabilities or sometimes even more than men. On the other hand, Hughes, (2003) observes that the government has been successful in promoting flexible working in private organizations as well as in the public service. Women are therefore satisfied throughout their working lives since they can give birth and care for the young without unnecessary issues in their workplace. The Society’s Attitude towards Career Oriented Women There are diverse views regarding working women in Qatari society. Some of the opinion leaders stick to traditions while the larger population is ready for change. There has been a change in the societal attitude towards working women. In essence, globalization has led to changes in the way of thinking in regards to traditions. People are focused towards better standards of living and the government emphasizes on the importance of education as the key to socio-economic development (Planning Council, 2005). The society has changed the view towards women in many perspectives. The fact that women have been allowed to express their social and political opinions indicates a significant development towards gender equality. Women are being accepted in leadership positions by the society, to the extent of serving in the cabinet as ministers for education among other influential leadership positions. Generally, the social attitude towards women in the workforce has changed and more are finding it easy to fit in the community while they continue working. Bahry and Marr (2005) argue that women in Qatar have demonstrated in the period that they have been working that they can be reliable in their place of work. Technological advancement has had a significant impact on the information that the women are able to access. Communication has been enhanced through developments in internet technology that allows people to participate in open forums and exchange ideas on social and economic issues. International media have also played a significant role in changing the Qatari society’s view as regards gender. Televised programs in the international television channels show men and women working together with men and even women are seen undertaking difficult tasks. Involvement in global issues has generated enlightenment among women and the public in general. The past two decades have seen a tremendous improvement in the level of interaction of communities globally (Pellet, 2004). The Qatar society has learnt from global communities that women are an integral component of the knowledge society, which is significant in accomplishing the country’s economic development goals. The knowledge regarding participation of women in economic activities in other countries has motivated Qataris to allow women in the workforce. According to UNDP (2005), even though many of traditions are deeply rooted in the Gulf region and are difficult to change, there is a common understanding that nations are developing as a result of embracing change. For example, hunger, disease and poverty eradication are among the major issues that the international community has concerted efforts. Qatar, being a member of international organizations such as the UN, Gulf Co-operation Council and OPEC is involved in international matters and therefore the society does not live in isolation (Planning Council, 2005). The country shares values with the international organizations, such as the UN’s gender equality and women empowerment programs. This has consistently played a role in transforming the society from a male biased culture to an inclusive community in terms of gender. However, Parvis (2003) observes that there is still evident skepticism among some employers regarding the capacity of women to accomplish workplace as well as family responsibilities. They tend to segregate women for some of the tasks that are viewed as fit for men. Socio-Cultural Factors Affecting Employment of Women in Qatar Hofsted defines culture as a tool that the mind applies to guide a person’s day to day activities and interactions with others. He believes that culture is a collective aspect of a population that has occupied a particular social environment where individuals learn unique norms and also develop standards that guide their behaviour. These behaviours make a distinction between cultures since all individuals in a particular culture share norms and customs (Hofstede, 1991). The Gulf region that is predominantly Arab has conventionally had a culture of male domination in terms of workplaces and families mainly depending on men as the bread winners. Women have been looked upon as home makers, with a significant role of taking care of their spouses and children (Supreme Council for Family Affairs, 2004). However, in spite of some communities in the region holding to these customs, the practice has changed resulting in the inclusion of women in workplaces as well as taking up challenging responsibilities of providing for their families. This has mainly been a consequence of globalization, which has led to the mix up of cultures through the global movements as people search for business opportunities in foreign countries as well as participation in global social events (UNDP, 2005). The upcoming generations continue discarding some of the conventional practices that hinder effective interactions with other cultures while generating a hybrid culture that applies the modern approach in social issues. It has been a tradition of the Arab countries, to have men being the bread winners in families while women played a significant role in taking care of their husbands and children. Even though there are still some Arab communities that adhere to this custom, changes have occurred, as a result of globalization, making it impossible to withhold the conventional views in the contemporary society. Globalization has led to a mix up of cultures as people mix up through migration in search for business or other factors that affect the society in general. Globalization is one of the occurrences in the Gulf that has had extensive effects on the region’s economies. The community in Qatar has been affected by the shift from protectionism to a liberalized economic system (Planning Council, 2005). The free movement of capital globally has resulted in the commoditization of many aspects of the society such as culture, which is among the significant income generating social commodities in the tourism industry. Investors are free to enter the increasing market in education globally. They are viewed as development agents who help the state to offer essential knowledge to its people (Kersten, 2000). Foreign investors in Qatar introduced a new business culture that affects the operation strategies, human resource management and to a great extent changed the societal attitude towards work and business. Generally, organizations in the contemporary operating environment are emphasizing on diversity in the workplace in terms of gender, culture and ethnicity. Human resource managers have realized the significance of workplace diversity. It is deemed necessary for the success of an organization and is also viewed as a significant step towards maintenance of inclusion in the society (Scott, 2007). Different people have different talents which they can bring in to the work place to either help in problem solving or contribute to the productivity of an organization through innovativeness. For example, Sondra (2003) asserts that there are many tasks that can be performed better by women than men and vise versa. With this understanding and efforts to cope with increasing competition, organizations in Qatar adopted best human resource practices, which involved strategies to maintain workplace diversity through inclusion of women in the human resources. These strategies were also aimed at fulfilling the expectations of the global society as regards promoting gender equality. Even though there are some resistant attitudes within the Arab society as regards inclusion of women in the workforce, the conventional perception is rapidly changing and families have begun supporting education of the girl child. The global campaigns for educating women have had tremendous impacts in the customs of the gulf region. The increase in the number of immigrant women in Qatar who are professionals in various fields facilitated the change towards the new human resource strategies of employment through merit other than marital status, sex or race (Planning Council, 2005. Initially, women mainly took up jobs related with hospitality, catering and other jobs that were regarded as feminine. However, they are increasingly being involved in jobs that were initially masculine such as doctors, lawyers and executive managers in large organizations. Holding top management positions in health institutions has been facilitated by the realization that women possess leadership qualities and talents. In Qatar, they are considered to be hardworking and more dependable than many male workers who demand higher wages and employment benefits (Bahry and Marr, 2005). The mentality that men are the bread winners in families influences their behavior towards work. They have always been found to expect higher pay than women colleagues who are assumed to have working spouses. Women have been made to feel inferior as regards positions of power in organizations. However, where merit is the key to advancement in the organizational hierarchy, they ascend as their male counterparts. Nevertheless, they are constantly affected by social life and family matters. In spite of their added responsibility in employment, they still remain home makers and hence some responsibilities may be a burden to them (Supreme Council for Family Affairs, 2004). Contemporary organizations are trying to adopt practices that enable women to accomplish a work-life balance, which allows them to engage in home-making activities while at the same time remaining productive in the workplace. Organizations accomplish this through promoting flexible working practices that promote satisfaction among female employees thereby motivating them to increase commitment and productivity (Hughes, 2003). For example, flexible work practices enhance dedication and the willingness of employees to accomplish organizational goals. Such practices include; non standard work whereby the organization employs workers on contract, temporary or part time among other non permanent employment. When female employees are allowed to work at their most convenient time, they are motivated to work harder. Part time employment allows people to accomplish a work-life balance. They can attend to family matters and expediently undertake their workplace responsibilities. However, as much as the flexible work practices are appreciated by employees, they deny them the benefits that are entitled to permanent employees while the organization benefits from increased productivity and reduced cost of labor. It is argued that this is the reason behind the low cost of labor for female employees (Dyer, 1998). Non-standard work involves employees who do not belong to the permanent workforce. In other words, they are engaged and shed as often as the management deems necessary. They might be casual labourers who are employed to supplement the permanent workers, part time employees whose services are needed only at a particular time in the organization, and temporary employees who either work part time or full time but whose benefits are different from the permanent employees (Hughes, 2003). They apply in the industries that experience seasonal variations in demand by the consumers such as in the tourism and fresh produce firms that have low and high seasons in one trading period. According to Supreme Council for Family Affairs (2004), the women who are able to ascend to top management in healthcare are mainly from the affluent families, who have been exposed to a wide range of cultures through travelling, especially in the West where gender equality is emphasized. The rate of assimilation of women workers in the Gulf region has been slow, and in most cases the non-standard work infringes the rights of women who form the majority in this group of workers (Hughes, 2003). Legal Structures for Protection of Working Qatari Women’s Rights The recent developments have led to the inclusion of large numbers of women in the educational systems in Qatar as well as in the political sphere. Social changes such as gender equality have also facilitated protection of women rights. There are legal rights to enhance participation of women in economic development in the country, which are absent in many other Arab countries. The move towards encouraging the participation of men and women in the workforce is aimed towards accomplishment of the country’s economic development goals (Hughes, 2003). The end of the 20th century was characterize by a major shift from the conventional home based work for women in Qatar to professionals with equal rights of participation in the workforce as men. This was enhanced by the enactment of the Qatarization policy that was generally meant to increase the population of working Qataris, men and women alike (Planning Council. 2005. The government was focused on ensuring that the increasing rate of Foreign Direct Investments in the country does not only provide employment for foreign nationals due to lack of participation of the locals in the workforce. There have been concerted efforts by the government to encourage the private sector to employ women through the Qatarization policy. All Qataris are also motivated to join the private sector through entitlement to social benefits not considering whether a person works in the public or private sector. Moreover, both men and women are eligible. The Qatarization policy has led to an increase in the number of women in employment since its development in 1997 (Hughes, 2003). It is important to note that major political changes have occurred in favour of Qatari women in the workforce. Initially, Qatari women had no right to express their political views through voting. Policy making was therefore largely influenced by the views of men in the country, which is a system that changed in 1998 when Qatari women were accorded the right to vote (Planning Council, 2005). The enactment of the Civil Service Act as well as the policies of the Council of ministers in 2001 was a major breakthrough in the Qatari government’s efforts to promote gender equality in the labour force. Men and women were no longer to have specialized roles in the workplace based on gender. In 2002, further developments in the protection of the rights of Qatari women were accomplished through the enactment of the Pension Law that requires women’s entitlement to retirement benefits. Further more the law also provided for women to be allowed to merge their salaries and pension benefits with those of their deceased spouses. The new Labour law was a significant improvement from the old law that had been in place for four decades. It was enacted in 2004 and has significantly promoted gender equality in the Qatarian workforce. According to Goldman et al. (2007), the new law led to a major turn of events regarding issues on education, career development and workplace learning among other aspects of organizations in which women remained marginalized for long in the Gulf region. However, in spite of the significant efforts and favourable legal framework for women to be involved in the workforce, there is still a question that remains unanswered as regards the capacity of Qatari women to utilize the available opportunities to work. Bahry and Marr (2005) noted that due to the marginalization that women have experienced for many years in terms of participation in economic activities, there is a tendency for them to suffer from inferiority complex, which generates doubts among them regarding the contemporary workplace. Moreover, they still have their social responsibilities that make it difficult for them to accomplish the full time responsibilities in employment. In other words, Qatarian women have the freedom to work, which is protected by the country’s legal structures. Other hindrances to full participation in the labour force therefore emanate from the social lives of women. The Future of Qatari Women in the Workforce The current trends in the involvement of women in the workforce indicate the nation’s cultural transformation as regards the view of women exclusively as homemakers. There are prospects especially with the current efforts to promote gender equality, which will allow more women involvement in the workforce. The discrimination of women that was enforced in the social traditions in Qatar was overcome through the enactment of a new constitution in 2004. It is expected that Qataris in all the sectors will adhere to the new laws that will see greater involvement of women in national issues (Bahry and Marr, 2005). The 2006 family law has made it possible for women to make independent decisions, which is a significant move from the traditional practices that prevented women from deciding on their own as regards education, career and family life among other matters that are private to individuals. They have been motivated to pursue further education and careers with equal opportunities as men. Personal freedoms that are protected by the country’s legal structures have resulted in an open-minded approach among women as regards career choice and setting up of personal development goals. The future workforce in Qatar is likely to comprise women who are able to balance work with family responsibilities due to the protection of women rights and freedoms in Qatar (Supreme Council for Family Affairs, 2004). Moreover, the upsurge in the number of foreign investors in the country has led to a mixture of cultures through immigrant workers. Many multinational companies that have invested in Qatar employ mix gender in the workforce, which influences the local employers’ choice of workforce. In several decades to come, the issue of gender based discrimination in the workforce might be an issue of the past in Qatar. As UNDP (2005) reports, there is likelihood that more women will find employment in the Qatari healthcare system, which is undergoing reforms that will lead to increased demand for healthcare professionals. The interest of women in the healthcare field will be facilitated by the new human resource management practices that are being widely adopted in Qatari public and private workplaces. These include flexible working such as shifts and part time working among other practices. References Bahry, L. and Marr, P. 2005. “Qatar women: A new generation of leaders?” Middle East Policy, 21:2. Dyer, S. 1998. “Flexibility models: a critical analysis” International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 19, 4 pp 223-233. Goldman, J. S., Vazha N. and Hanine S. 2007. Post-secondary Education for Qatar: Employer Demand, Student Choice, and Options for Policy. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Hearn, G., Mandeville, T., & Joseph, R. (2003). Public Policy in Knowledge-Based Economies: Foundations and Frameworks. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Hofstede, G. (1991) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Hughes, R. (2003). Living & Working in the Gulf States & Saudi Arabia: A Survival Handbook, Survival Books, Ltd Kersten, A. (2000). “Diversity Management Dialogue, Dialectics and Diversion”. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 13, pp. 235-248. Parvis, L. (2003). “Diversity and effective leadership in multicultural workplaces”. Journal of Environmental Health, 65, pp.37-38. Pellet, J. 2004. “Driving diversity:  diverse work forces make for better companies”. Chief Executive, 198, pp. 48-55. Planning Council. 2005. “Labor Market Strategy for the State of Qatar: Main Report”, Government of Qatar Planning Council, Volume I, December 29, 2005. Rooney, D., Hearn, G., & Ninan, A. (2005). Handbook on the Knowledge Economy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Scott P. 2007. The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Sondra B. T. (2003). Making Diversity Work: 7 Steps for Defeating Bias in the Workplace, Chicago: Dearborn. Supreme Council for Family Affairs. 2004. Women and Men in the State of Qatar: A Statistical Portrait, SCFA. UNDP. 2005. “Towards the Rise of Women in the Arab World”. Arab Human Development Report 2005 Read More