Qatari women find key to greater emancipation

More than 70 per cent of the students at Qatari universities are women, a factor that might deeply change Qatar's social profile and customs in the next few years, experts warned.

"While in some Arab countries women's literacy rates are very small, such as Mauritania and Yemen, in other countries like Qatar, UAE and Kuwait, women are becoming more educated than men," Abdul Moneim Osman, Unesco's director for the Arab States Education Bureau told Gulf News.

"In some Gulf states the percentage of female students at local universities is higher than men, in some cases reaching 85 per cent of the students," he said on the sidelines of a recent conference on literacy in the Arab world.

Impact

"The phenomenon may change the traditional societies of these countries and somehow impact the culture and customs, though up to date there are no in-depth studies on what will happen in the future," he added.

According to Dr Osman, Gulf women look at education as a tool to become more independent and emancipated and eventually as a way to break away from the family.

Qatar University, the sole government funded higher education institute, has a female population of more than 70 per cent of the students. The other private universities have a female population of above 50 per cent, according to Dr Abdullah Al Thani, vice-president of the Qatar Foundation.

This increase in the number of female students at local varsities is a result of the strong support that the country's authorities and in particular Qatar's First Lady, Shaikha Mouza Bint Nasser Al Missnad, have given to women's education and participation in the social and working life.

"Qatar's leadership believes education has a fundamental role in building the country's future," Dr Abdullah told Gulf News. Commenting on why male students are not as keen as women on having a higher education, Dr Al Thani said male education has different features.

"While it is true that there is a growing interest of women in education in Qatar, the statistics do not show that male students travel more easily abroad to pursue their studies ... many of them join the military academies or the army; these are some of the reasons why their percentage appears so low."

But despite these factors, the statistics provided by a 2006 World Bank Report on Qatar's education and a study by the local Qatari Planning Council, show that not only do women represent the majority of students, but also that they are considered more reliable by the job market.

The World Bank Report said that for every Qatari man aged 25 and graduating from university, there are two women graduates of the same age.

According to the Planning Council, the school dropout rate of males in Qatar is double that of women.

"Men are less used than women to fight to achieve ... independence and have more short term objectives than women. They are mainly concerned with achieving financial security independent of their level of education. Many try to enter the business world very early," said a consultant on education policies to the higher authorities.

Role of education

Qatar's First Lady Shaikha Mouza Bint Nasser Al Missnad has given her strong support to women's education.

A World Bank Report shows that for every Qatari man aged 25 and graduating from university, there are two women graduates of the same age.