SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT - UAE Interact

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248 U N I T E D A R A B E M I R AT E S Y E A R B O O K 2 0 0 8The range and focus ofthe concerns andexpertise of theGeneral Women’sUnion has evolved asthe needs of womenhave developed.introducing handicraft, health education, religious education andliteracy programmes throughout the UAE. It also provides vocationaltraining, job placement services, family mediation services andcontinues to play a major role in assisting economic independencethrough the establishment of small businesses.As the needs of women have developed, so the range and focusof the GWU’s concerns and expertise have evolved. The GWU has,amongst its many duties, responsibility for suggesting new laws oramendments to existing laws. It researches matters pertinent towomen and makes recommendations to the relevant ministriesand government departments. In this context, the GWU wasinstrumental in 2001 in the issuance of the new civil service lawthat extends maternity leave and the issuance in 2003 of a lawestablishing the Supreme Council for Mother and Child, which isdirectly affiliated to the Office of the President and chaired bySheikha Fatima. The GWU was also instrumental in reviewingthe country's draft social status law governing family relations.In addition, the GWU plays a significant role in women’s affairsat regional and international levels. In particular, it maintainsstrong Arab and international links with women’s organisationsand is affiliated to the Arab Women’s Federation, the InternationalWomen’s Federation and the International Family Organisation.The GWU has participated in all of the UN-sponsored worldconferences on women over the last few decades, culminating inBeijing in 1995, the largest conference in the history of theUnited Nations. Subsequently, GWU focused on the necessarymeasures at a national level to activate CEDAW and to implementthe recommendations of the Beijing Declaration.In this context, the GWU was intimately involved in The NationalStrategy for the Advancement of Women, a joint initiative withUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UnitedNations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), a number oflocal government agencies and NGOs. The strategy’s purpose wasto activate the role of women and their positive participation ineducation, economy, information, social work, health, legislatureand environment, and political and executive fields. The effect of
S O C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T249the strategy was to raise the debate on female participation to a newlevel with a rhetoric that unapologetically assumes gender equalityand focuses on the removal of obstacles to that participation.This focus also extends beyond the UAE’s borders: the UAEGovernment, along with UAE-based NGOs led by the UAE RedCrescent, have contributed financially and in kind to assist manydeveloping countries and regions affected by natural disasters,armed conflicts and foreign occupation where women suffer frompoverty, dangerous diseases, violence, displacement and violationof human rights. Contributions were directed to the implementationof social development programmes and advancement of womenin these countries.The United Arab Emirates was re-elected to membership ofthe Women’s Committee of the UN Economic and Social Councilfrom 2006 to 2010.In 2007, 200 womenbenefited from thePolitical EmpowermentProgramme and areport entitled ‘TowardsWomens’ PoliticalEmpowerment in theUAE’ was jointly issuedby UNIFEM andwomen’s institutions inthe UAE.WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCEAlthough women are high achievers in the educational field andare well-represented in public sector employment, the challengeis to increase female participation in the private sector. Theconsensus is that national women stand an equal if not greaterchance of employment in the private sector, compared to men.‘These women are qualified, have effective communication skills,and are extremely confident’.There are several reasons, however, why the ratio of female tomale participation in the workforce is relatively low. Firstly, thenumber of males between the ages of 15 and 65 years (2.12million in 2005) far exceeds the female figure (838,941), mainlybecause foreign workers are predominantly male; secondly, somecompanies restrict the numbers of females employed; thirdly,UAE society is patriarchal and the changing of traditional viewsconcerning a woman’s place in the family is a slow process;fourthly, although women are well-represented at every educationallevel, it is no longer enough for women to gain a qualification –it is vital that what women choose to do in tertiary educationshould be relevant to the needs of the ever more technologically@www.uaeinteract.com/women
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