It is part of the duty of society to look after those who face problems, so that they are able to get back on their feet. It is also essential for a small nation like the UAE which has a national population of little over a million, that as many of its adults as possible contribute to the country's working life.
It is also of vital strategic importance to the future of the country that young Emiratis grow up able to take full advantage of the opportunities available to them.
These three important reasons all combine to support the excellent decision to extend social security allowances to working women who are sole bread winners. The new allowances were announced by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, last week in a move that has been widely hailed as an important improvement.
The new allowances apply to working mothers with children, who are divorced, widowed or married to men unable to work. The new allowances will affect thousands of women who have not been covered by the social security system, which has assumed to date that only the fathers were responsible for their children's welfare.
These women will now be able to sustain their children with better food or clothing, maybe also be able to seek better access to education and health care.
However, the new allowances only apply to public sector employees, who are working in government service or in federal bodies.
It would make sense for the government to look at extending access to social security allowances to working mothers in the private sector, who no less than their peers in the public sector also need to support their families.
