The Middle East: “Still a long road ahead”

In the ultra-conservative Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, women have fought and still fight a tough battle for greater equality.

The 2011 Arab uprisings marked a turning point and motivated more women to demand greater visibility in society.

Nonetheless, huge challenges remain. According to the  Unicef report, “ Situational Analysis of Women and Girls in the Middle East and North Africa 2010-2020”, gender gaps in the region persist and recent progress is at risk due to global and regional events, including conflict, political and economic upheaval, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, the report noted that the staunch patriarchal character of governments continues to impede the movement towards greater gender equality in the region.

But change is gradually underway, particularly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which ranked first in the Arab World, and 18th globally, in the  Gender Inequality Index of the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report 2020.

It moved up eight positions from its previous rank of 26 in 2019.

Mariam Sabet, senior associate and IP lawyer at  Al Tamimi, sat down with WIPR to explore some much-welcomed progress in this region, ongoing challenges, and her own experience of forging a career path in the UAE.

The MENA region has been in the spotlight in recent years for its gender diversity record. Has any progress been made, and how can it be sustained?

There have been improvements when it comes to D&I, particularly when it comes to female representation in the workplace. That said, the Middle East still has a long road ahead as it continues to play catch-up with other countries. As it stands, women only hold a small minority of top leadership roles in law.

While there have been improvements in terms of awareness and initiatives, there remains a fundamental impediment arising from the cultural barriers impeding women’s career advancement.

Working mothers face more challenges in trying to balance the workforce requirements and family obligations. It is common for women to consider scaling back their career aspirations or even leaving the workforce entirely due to the challenges in achieving a work-life balance.

One way to overcome some of these challenges is to extend special benefits to women in terms of flexible working conditions to allow for the female workforce to thrive.

What initiatives are aimed at tackling these historic and cultural issues?

There are various initiatives and organisations in the region that promote gender equality with missions to rebalance the corporate ecosystem with adequate female representation

One of the most prominent initiatives is  Aurora 50, a social enterprise working with leading organisations in the Middle East to accelerate gender balance in the boardroom.

Aurora’s mission is gender balance in the workplace by ensuring that organisations prioritise board diversity. The organisation advises companies on board diversity and how to roll out gender-sensitive recruitment processes.

The second edition of the Board Summit (organised by Aurora) is set to take place this September with the crux of its agenda/goals is to encourage board diversity.

The board summit will gather high-profile professionals from UAE ministers, policymakers, regulators, chairpersons, board members and C suite executives to discuss the ways to promote diversity and access to female talent.

In addition, in the UAE, one of the most significant developments has been the mandate passed by the Securities and Commodities Authority to empower Emirati women and encourage more females to play a greater role on the boards of listed companies.

The mandate requires listed companies to appoint at least one woman to their boards.  Consequently, 19 listed companies in the UAE have appointed female board members following such a mandate.

What has been your experience as a female IP lawyer in the UAE?

I have been lucky in my career to be surrounded by a large support system and progressive bosses that have thoroughly encouraged me every step of the way.

If I am to identify a challenge, it would be navigating my career while raising a family. Trying to achieve this balance was indeed challenging and an uphill battle. Now with increased workplace flexibility and remote set-ups, these challenges have become more manageable.

How can companies and firms ensure that future recruitment is truly fair and equitable?

There are a number of ways to achieve this. The first step should derive from the company’s own policy and mission. Having a clear non-bias policy should be part of every company’s ethos. Another important measure is creating a diverse hiring panel.

Job descriptions need to be worded carefully to ensure they steer away from biased terms, eg, replacing words such as “motherhood” to “parenthood” because raising children isn’t the responsibility of just women.

Words matter and companies should ensure that subtle biases are avoided in any type of communications.

Job ads/descriptions are a company’s first communication to a candidate and the wording used needs to be carefully crafted in order to align with fair and equitable practices.

Mariam Sabat is a senior associate at  Al Tamimi in the UAE. She can be contacted at: m.sabet@tamimi.com