The UAE and other Gulf countries have some of the lowest rates of female labour force participation in the world. By economically empowering women, in a way that makes them consciously opt to take part in paid labour, the effectiveness of Emiratisation is likely to be strengthened. Much of the discussion surrounding labour force nationalisation focuses on boosting Emirati talent, discouraging secondary school drop-out rates among boys and revamping the education system to better reflect the needs of the job market. However, rarely does the stark gender imbalance in the national workforce enter the discourse. Statistics from 2010 suggest that Emirati women account for just 28 per cent of the national labour force.

The imbalance is not a result of an education gender gap in favour of men. Across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), women actually outnumber and outperform men in higher education. In the UAE alone, data from the National Bureau of Statistics reveals that in the academic year ending in 2013, Emirati women comprised more than 58 per cent of nationals enrolled in higher education.

Factors discouraging labour force participation

A 2012 poll by the Dubai Women Establishment found that the perceived inability of women to balance work and family life is central in discouraging them from entering the labour force. This maternal dilemma presents motherhood and self-development through paid labour as mutually exclusive aspirations. A concept central in 20th century Western Europe, modern day manifestations of this dilemma have slowly shifted its locus to the Gulf.

Beyond the work-life balance, information deficiencies in the workplace promote misconceptions about employment that deter many women from entering. Cultural constraints also continue to drive many women away from paid labour. To reverse these trends, stereotypes need to be downplayed, taboos rejected and the information deficiency eliminated.

Resolving the dilemma through online mentorship

A good place to start is by creating a platform in which these complementary aims can be addressed. An online mentorship programme for female Emirati students at the undergraduate level could do just this. It could take place for a few weeks each year or be an ongoing initiative. Students would learn about vocational training options, be connected to potential companies and job listings and have a platform in which to network. They could also use the forum to ask questions to female mentors about a variety of issues ranging from career aspirations to reconciling the work-life balance. Student queries could then be mapped to see where and how to best direct Emiratisation efforts.

A similar initiative in 2012 encouraged women across the US to enter Stem-related fields. The Ministry of Labour could promote the UAE version of this programme, in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. UAE University, Zayed University, Khalifa University — to name a few — could provide female mentors and encourage their female Emirati students to take part. UAE-based corporations could also provide the same. The involvement of these organisations could have a ripple effect in shifting perceptions of employers towards appreciating the worth of nationals in the productive economy.

To attract a wide audience, influential figures should be encouraged to take part in the initiative. These could include Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi for the field of economics, Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union and the Family Development Foundation, for gender studies, Fatima Al Jaber for construction and Major Mariam Al Mansouri for the armed forces. The involvement of these individuals will provide Emirati women with powerful, high-achieving role models from whom they could draw inspiration.

The online mentorship programme can begin as an initiative targeted towards sectors with low Emiratisation rates and then be expanded to other areas. Earlier this year, Dubai’s construction and real estate sectors were predicted to suffer a combined manpower shortage of 500,000 by 2015. Providing online mentors from these sectors could potentially encourage women’s entry into paid labour and so help bridge the skills gap and shortage. To be sure, the initiative should be complemented by the comprehensive economic empowerment of women. To this end, national quotas and vocational training programmes in favour of women should continue to gather momentum. Beyond these measures, establishing government-run day care centres in various localities across emirates would give women more options in managing the maternal dilemma. Introducing flexible hours of work, or work from home options, would also nurture an environment conducive to women’s needs.

Without first instilling in women a sense of self-worth and ensuring that female support networks exist, such initiatives are likely to fall short of their intended goals. This is why the time is ripe for the UAE to launch an online female mentorship programme. Harnessing the range of e-services and social media towards the economic empowerment of national women will help ensure the future success of Emiratisation and provide a snapshot of a sustainable development paradigm for the region to follow.

Vidya Diwakar is a research analyst at The Delma Institute, specialising in socio-economic issues in the Mena region.