Unending struggle for gender equality

On May 1, a news channel debated whether women are earning less for the same jobs than men. They dismissed the fact that there is discrimination in wages by stating that yes, women earn less for the same job as men but it is because they work fewer hours! They want to be home with their children so they opt for fewer hours and are hence paid less.

The equality of men and women is not only desirable, but fundamentally important. Men and women possess physical differences that undeniably influence some aspects of how they experience the world. Yet, in essence, in their qualities and potential, and in all aspects that make us human, men and women are the same. There should be no distinction in the jobs they do or the wages they receive. It is imperative gender equality is upheld in reality.

When viewed in a broader context, the discrimination against women in society is one of many symptoms of an ailing social order. We live in a world where all around us we witness conflict and injustice. The aim cannot be only to get women the same wages as men or enable them to participate in the affairs of society. Rather, both women and men must work shoulder to shoulder as they apply universal principles for the sake of justice and collective prosperity. This demands profound changes in the hearts and minds of people and in the structures of society. Individuals and groups working towards this goal may wish to consult and reflect on some of the questions and challenges that arise as they strive to apply these principles to different aspects of their lives.

A local newspaper on April 30 quoted the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2010 as saying that the labour force participation rate of women in the UAE has increased from 41 per cent in 2009 to 43 per cent this year while the wage gap narrowed relative to the $40,000 maximum value for men. The report said there are small gains in primary, secondary and tertiary enrolment data, and the proportion of women holding ministerial level positions has increased. All these factors helped the UAE attain top position in the Arab world in gender equality and also pushed its ranking up by nine places worldwide, the report said.

The fact that the UAE has made great progress towards improving its record on gender equity is something to be proud of. The role of women in the UAE has advanced dramatically in recent years, making it a leader in women's rights in the Arab world. Though there were few opportunities for women outside the home before 1960, the discovery of oil led to advancement in women's position.

Retarding progress

The UAE constitution guarantees equality between men and women in legal status, claim to titles, and access to education. In 2007-2008, the United Nations Development Programme report ranked the UAE 29th among 177 countries in Gender Empowerment Measures, the best rating received by an Arab state. UNDP's Millennium Development Goal No. 3, to "Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women" has reached its target levels of female participation in primary education and continues to increase (according to UNDP Millennium Development Goals UAE March 2007). Women account for 1-2 per cent of the UAE's high executive positions, 20 per cent hold administration positions, 35 per cent are in the national workforce, and 80 per cent are classified as household workers (Arabian Business 2007).

The Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, in one of its latest documents, states: "Understood and enacted in these terms, abuses of power and the unequal distribution of material sources and instruments of power have resulted in innumerable hardships and great suffering for women historically and into the present day. Many thoughtful people, feminist scholars and activists among them, have thus critiqued these prevailing conceptions of power and recognised that in an interdependent social body, coercive and adversarial expressions of power retard the progress and development of all members of the social body. They have instead drawn attention to the many integrative and mutualistic expressions of power ..."

The solutions this study provides is also enlightening. It states, "A reconceptualisation of power in this sense requires a broadened appreciation of the sources of power available to humanity, which include the limitless and generative powers of unity, love, justice and equity, knowledge, humility, integrity and truthfulness—powers humanity has been learning to draw upon over the centuries ... As we move beyond the material struggle to exercise power over or against others, and we develop the capacity to draw on these other sources of power accessible to every human being, we activate greater forms of individual and collective agency and create new possibilities for the well-being of women and men."

Advancing the equality of women and men cannot be conceived only in terms of bringing women into the various arenas of the current social order. It must involve women and men striving together to build a new social order.

While there are, of course, many other challenges, it is the hoped that consultations around the issues raised here can, in some small way, enhance the debate on the equality of women and men and help in further linking it to the broader aim of constructing a new thought process governed by the principles of unity and justice. It is great to see that in this path, the UAE has made progress towards improving its record on gender equity.

Niloofar Rouhani is a Dubai-based consultant.