Call for policies to support working mothers

Dubai: The need for supportive policies for working women, especially mothers, came to light on Monday during a seminar presented by The Dubai School of Government (DSG)

Speaking at the seminar, Aisha Al Suwaidi, Acting CEO of Human Resources Policies Sector of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) stressed that policy makers are interested in fostering equal participation for both genders. The seminar, part of the Gender and Public Policy monthly seminar series at the Convention Tower, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), outlined recent reforms on some of the HR policies that affect women in the UAE.

Aisha told Gulf News, “It isn’t difficult to promote women empowerment because women have proved that they are capable and are willing to work. In this regard, we face policy issues that need to be rectified. Working women want more options to be able to juggle their working and personal life.”

Aisha added, “We are encouraging equal opportunities. We are rethinking the philosophy of performance itself. Instead of thinking of differences based on gender, race and nationality, we are thinking on the lines of productivity, performance, attracting talent, and retaining and promoting it. At FAHR, we have approved policy in support of part-time jobs, temporary jobs and flexible working hours for UAE nationals.”

The seminar also introduced a new report which was based on a survey conducted in March last year, to assess the needs of working women in the government sector in the UAE. The report addressed regulations needed to promote work-life balance, career and leadership development in the government sector.

“Unfortunately there are several strongly held opinions about working women in the region — how to increase their participation and what they need or don’t need. But very little of these are based on data. We now have real insights based on the survey,” Dr. May Al Dabbagh, Director of the Gender and Public Policy programme, DSG Faculty Chair, and moderator told Gulf News.

She also introduced the idea of “rethinking the HR system” at the seminar. Speaking to policymakers, academics, students researchers and government officials, she said, “We have found that simply plugging women in to the existing model of work is not enough. Work culture needs to change to accommodate women. Current HR policies in the UAE can be improved for needs of working parents.”