Gender, faith, education, and family background in the United Arab Emirates: A case study of women professionals

Abstract

This paper explores some of the reasons behind the remarkable accomplishments of five women managers in higher education settings in the United Arab Emirates: despite four of them being brought up in extremely humble, poor, albeit nurturing environments. It adopts a critical feminist approach via narrative analysis of interviews with the five women, drawing out key themes around their family backgrounds, education, and Islamic faith, juxtaposing these against the literature. It finds that in all the five women, their backgrounds instilled a remarkable tenacity, resilience, and drive to succeed against the odds; but that they remain major exceptions in Emirati society, despite the government's work over recent decades to provide greater leadership opportunities for women in the workplace. The women encountered a host of cultural obstacles on their way up, from both their families and later, in their professional lives. This study observes that, while their stories are inspirational for all women and girls, especially those living in the Gulf region, there is clearly still a huge amount of work to be done by policymakers. The paper makes recommendations in such regard, highlighting the pressing need for the private sector to follow in the government's footsteps and provide more opportunities for women at executive levels in leadership and management.