DUBAI: Women in the United Arab Emirates have improved their standing in the country, especially in education, which proves that the government is moving in the “right direction” for women's empowerment, said one expert in a paper published on women's issues. According to Suaad Zayed al-Oraimi, a gender and development specialist at UAE University, women in the country “exceed their male counterparts in higher education.” She added at a seminar that the UAE government “has made women's empowerment a key component of its strategy, working towards reshaping traditional social gender roles. “Notably, the UAE has already made progress with a larger representation of women in the federal government and over 11,000 women running 30 percent of the small and medium businesses in the country.” Her optimism was not felt by many of the women in the audience. Doaa Yussif Abdelrahman told Bikyamasr.com that “people in government always want to make their efforts look good.” She argued that women in the UAE continue to face discrimination and imprisonment for a number of “crimes,” including rape or pre-marital sex. “That is not empowerment,” she argued. But, Oraimi somewhat agreed, adding that, “despite efforts which have placed the UAE at the forefront of other Arab countries with regards to women's advancement and empowerment, much more remains to be done. Women in the UAE still find themselves confined to certain socially attributed roles that hinder their full participation in the development processes. Polices need to be instituted to alter this, and we need to move beyond not addressing certain traditional barriers.” She added: “The economic and social development of the country is contingent on the significant participation of women.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/iCUQ8 Tags: Dubai, Education, Empowered Section: Latest News, United Arab Emirates, Women
