The Gender Equality Mission 2021 for UAE
The gender equality mission in the UAE is well on its way as the UAE Gender Balance Council has been assigned by the Prime Minister of the country, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The presence of female ministers in the country’s government, women of the country enjoying the right to vote, and now the country being all set to get its own all-women police force point to the fact the UAE is leading the way when it come to Middle East’s women’s rights. A Gender Inequality Index, implemented by the council would be an indicator of the gender disparity measurement. Dubai Media Office has meanwhile stated it vividly that the index issued by the United Nations Development Programme would also be in line with the UAE Vision 2021. The aim of the campaign will be an encouragement of greater women participation in the development of the UAE.
Gender Equality Mission as part of Emiratisation
The impact of this ongoing campaign on the jobs market of the UAE nevertheless has not yet been fathomed to a well reckonable shape since its being in the early stages. The UAE’s job sector has always been a rich hunting ground for expatriate workers with almost 99 percent of private sector jobs and 91 percent of public sector jobs being accounted by them. As many crucial studies have already predicted a grim scenario for the nationals of the UAE as regards to the country’s workforce participation, there has indeed been a strong urge to revert this tendency. The prediction drawn by the trend that by 2020 only less than 4 percent of jobs would be accounted for the UAE nationals, has obviously driven the nationalistic think-tank to make necessary amendments before it is too late.
Women as a more Potential Option
The main impediment to UAE national’s employment has been understood to be ‘low trust’. In addition to the low trust factor, there has also been the ever looming inequality of gender in terms of salary as well as position and nepotism that is locally known as ‘wasta’, prevailing in the country’s workforce against the scopes of the UAE national that is willing to work in the country. The country’s ‘emiratisation’ movement of the late has in its research phase listed a number of reasons for UAE nationals’ low workforce participation. The first reason pointed out has been the business model of the private sector that is largely reliant on low-wage jobs creation. Secondly comes a lack of training and development opportunity and finally falls a lack of open door policy for communication.
As a low-wage job structure is not likely to entice the average male member of the UAE nationality, the onus has presently fallen on the female member to close this gap, which is a typical private sector business model, in favour of ‘emiratisation’. Hence the gender equality mission 2021 can be well identified as one of the many veiled solutions for the issues faced by Emiratisation. That says one could see an increased influx of UAE women into the private sector job market, while the big salaried jobs of the public sector would be in the recent future facing intense reservation in favour of UAE men. More than half of UAE’s 30.5 percent of women population is expected to join the country’s workforce by 2021 and it has been reported that a generation of Emirati women is being steadily developed by the country with a view to help its future economy led by innovative concepts.
Jobs for Expatriates; the Future
The workforce of the UAE is one of world’s most diverse with an estimated 80 percent of it being expatriates. However, in the times of Emiratisation, a study report that out of 3.8 million existing private sector jobs of the UAE, at least 800,000 could be filled in by Emiratis, stands with great importance. As until now, only 20,000 to 30,000 citizens have been employed in the private sector, it is a possibility that the forthcoming women-force would be targeting this sector with a special interest.
Nevertheless, even in the shadows of Emiratisation that is a national imperative, corporations are also keen on holding on to a social obligation to make sure they are not recruiting merely to fill a vacant position or in other words meet quotas. As there is more in it such as an organizational commitment to promote talent aiming at a professionally excelling industry. This is obviously the factor that would encourage the expatriate candidates even during such ominous times as Emiratisation.
On the other brighter side of things, as the future growth of the UAE would depend heavily on highly qualified national visionaries and professionals, a welcome boost in the economy is also anticipated. Such a situation evolving out would only call for more professionals for its workforce development, which in its turn would again be great times for expatriate candidates. Meanwhile, the female Emiratis that excel making out the maximum from this movement need not be limiting themselves to the role of professionals. They can also evolve into promising entrepreneurs as the government is expected to back them with gusto with UAE Vision 2021 round the very corner.