Dubai: The UAE’s support for women in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) was discussed at a meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.
At the session held in New York this year, Dr Lamya Fawwaz, the executive director of public affairs at Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, talked about the participation of women and girls in those areas, including providing women with equal access to employment and work opportunities, said Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National.
Strong support from the UAE government was probably the biggest driver in women’s increased participation in Stem professions in the country, Dr Lamya was quoted by the paper as saying.
“Starting from scholarships that provide advanced education, to internships with innovative companies, to the constitutional rights to equal pay and maternity leave, the leadership has done everything possible to make education and profession easy for women.”
UAE’s plan to transform itself into a knowledge-based economy underscored the exciting importance of the Stem subjects, said Dr Lamya, adding that women in the UAE “serve as beacons of inspiration to the next generation”, as there were increasingly more role models.
