Arab women high flyers

Young female students take inspiration from accomplished national and regional figures who spoke at the first Women Leadership Forum held in Dubai last week. Maysam Ali reports from the two-day conference.

UAE national female students from universities across the UAE met prominent women leaders from the UAE and abroad during the first Arab Women Leadership forum held in Dubai last week. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the two-day conference organised by the Dubai Women's Establishment (DWE).

He was present during the inaugural speech given by his daughter Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wife of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and President of the Dubai Women's Establishment.

Students played a prominent role throughout the forum. From organising it to meeting speakers and attending sessions and training workshops, students grasped every opportunity to learn from women leaders, who not only had several years of experience but had made a name for themselves in their fields of work.

Shaikha Manal sets the spirit

In her speech, Shaikha Manal urged Arab women to play a positive role in the advancement of the country and the Arab world. Citing the example of some renowned women in Emirati society, she said the challenges facing the world today can only be resolved if the population in a society is active. She told the women to work hard, come up with innovative solutions to problems and assume more responsibilities in order to help in the progress of the country and the Arab world.

Shaikha Manal said that the accomplishments of Emirati women are numerous and impressive and embrace many sectors. "We would not have organised this forum had we not been confident of our achievements and capabilities. We now have something to present and be proud of," she said.

"These accomplishments could not have been completed had it not been for the wisdom and willpower of the nation's leadership," she added.

Students later said Shaikha Manal's speech had been very inspiring, motivating them to earn their degrees and start working.

Khadeejah Jaafar, a business and information technology student at Dubai Women's College (DWC), said: "When she gave an overview of women in Emirati society, I hoped that I too would become a leader like that."

Bright future

The opening speech was followed by four panel discussions. Panellists included professors, diplomats, politicians and women activists.

Mona Al Merri, Chairperson of the DWE Board of Directors and CEO of the Media Services Group, said the forum's importance lay in the interaction between high-profile influential leaders and researchers on a national and international level, and in building associations with international organisations to change the perceptions of Arabs and Emiratis.

She said that women face challenges such as cultural barriers and the dominance of men in leadership positions but that the UAE has a bright future.

"We belong to a young country which provides equal opportunities for females and males and recruitment is based on skills and capabilities rather than gender," she told Notes.

Addressing students on the second day of the conference, she narrated the history of women's inclusion in the UAE.

Call for more research

Panellists discussed various issues related to women's rights, leadership and the gender gap.

Dr May Al Dabbagh, Director of the Gender and Public Policy Programme and Research Fellow at the Dubai School of Government, the knowledge partner of the forum, said that despite a dominant impression of the Arab world being oppressive to women, there were several "fantastically positive strides" that should keep women optimistic and critical.

She told Notes that more research is needed because knowledge results in new solutions and innovation enables research to be translated into effective policy.

Dr Rohini Pande, Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, said that Arab countries rate low in their number of female parliamentarians with barely 10 per cent, compared to a worldwide level of 20 per cent.

She said that women leaders have had a significant effect on policy in some countries, having influenced policies such as spending on healthcare and drinking water among other issues.

Asya Al Lamki, Oman's Cultural Attache in Washington D.C., said the bulk of research on the Arab world highlights the marginal role of women. "Women suffer from marginalisation... lack of mentors and lack of social attitudes," she said.

Al Lamki said the aim is to increase the number of women in leadership positions and develop a transformational strategy with new perceptions of religion, gender and work cultures.

"There are very few institutions in the Arab region that focus on gender studies and those institutes rarely communicate. University courses should stresss those issues and a research agenda must be established to advance the role of women," she added.

Inspired students

Students left the panel discussing the effectiveness of quotas and the accomplishments of UAE national women.

Aliah Al Shamlan, a first-year applied communications student, had volunteered to be part of the organising team and attended the speeches and panel discussions. She told Notes: "It's interesting to look at how other women are leaders. Some speakers discussed the perception that women can't do what men do but I believe they are equal. In fact, they have different characteristics, which create a balance between them."

Aliah's classmate, Fatima Al Bastaki, said: "Many people consider that women cannot or should not be managers but in my opinion, although women are more emotional, they have an opinion and they are more organised."

Training for leadership

The highlight of the second day was a training workshop for students and young professionals. Students identified the challenges facing women leaders and discussed how to develop their leadership skills and capabilities.

Notes caught up with a group of students from UAE University chatting with careers education consultant Anthony Barnes at the end of his workshop.

Mariam Al Saifi, a management and information system student, said the three most important points she had retained from the training were power, motivation and communication.

Her friends Mona Al Badi, Eman Al Marzouqi and Salama Al Badi said the facts and figures presented at the lectures were very helpful.

"We feel that Emirati women are starting to take up important positions; many speakers confirmed that the UAE is doing well in this," Mona said.

Employ knowledge

Ala' Al Shanasi, a first-year business and information technology student at Sharjah Women's College, was rushing from a workshop to a discussion by Mona Al Merri and Shaikha Najla Al Qasimi, Emirati ambassador to Sweden, when Notes stopped her for a chat.

She said the workshop had provided her with tips on how to acquire leadership skills and qualities. "The conference is good. You meet leaders and it encourages you to be one of them and to learn from them," she said.

The panel discussion Ala' went on to attend offered advice on leadership qualities.

Shaikha Najla, who is the first woman ambassador in the UAE, said in her address: "Leadership is about honesty, communication, confidence, mental and emotional stability, flexibility and charisma. Establishing trust in the team you work with gives you the support to move ahead."

She told female graduates to employ the knowledge they have gained in their fields to tackle subjects that arise in their careers.