Dubai: Four in 10 women across the region receive less pay than their male colleagues and have fewer chances of promotion, according to the findings of a series of polls conducted by the Middle East job site Bayt.com, in conjunction with researchers at YouGovSiraj, a market research company.
Titled ‘The Women in the Middle East Workplace', the survey measures women's perceptions, attitudes, experiences and satisfaction with various elements of their role in the workplace, and particularly in comparison to that received by their male colleagues.
The data was collected online between April 26 and May 23, with a total of 2,086 respondents, including locals, Arab, Western and Asian expats residing in the UAE.
Although the survey showed that 90 per cent of women claim to work equal or longer hours than their male colleagues, 42 per cent feel they receive less pay.
"This is a feeling that has come out of our study. We're not saying that this is a fact," said Jeetu Sharma, Research Associate at YouGov Siraj.
Sharma told Gulf News that this sentiment, however, could be a reflection of a more serious issue.
This could be an issue for organisers and companies because women won't be productive if they feel they're getting less pay for the same job, he said.
The survey has also shown that 43 per cent feel they have a slimmer chance of promotion than their male colleagues and that 20 per cent feel that they are not able to progress beyond a certain level in their organisational structure.
Area of discontent
Maternity leave was one area of discontent, the survey results showed. Most women in the region are entitled to one to three months' leave and more than half expressed ‘neutral' to ‘low' satisfaction with their company's provision of leave and benefits.
When asked what needs to be done to change this sentiment of dissatisfaction, Sharma said the key is communication.
"Companies need to ask women in the workplace what benefits they are looking for and try to work around that," he said. For some however, being female works to their benefit.
The survey results showed that 44 per cent of women across the region feel that gender has not affected their career, and as much as a third of GCC women feel it has actually had a positive impact.
Many Emirati women have actually been able to prove themselves in the traditionally male-dominated world of business.
They're capable of running their own firms and managing big sums of money.
Speaking separately at a lecture on the role of women in wealth management, Raja Eisa Al Gurg, President of the Dubai Business Women Council, urged businesswomen to take advantage of the available opportunities to invest in promising areas that attract channels for investment in high volumes.
What they want
- Higher salary (77%)
- Better career advancement opportunities (55%)
- Step up to a senior position (30%)
