In a part of the world where women have
struggled to become part of mainstream society, the unexpected diktat provoked
harsh criticism from teachers at the school, women in academia and the human
rights community.
"This is a violation of human
rights, Qatari rights, Arab Labor Rights for women and Islamic Laws,"
Fadwa El-Guindi, Head of the Department of Social Sciences at Qatar University,
told The Media Line. "There is nothing that says when you are working you
cannot be pregnant."
The school, which was not named, was
reportedly upgraded from semi-independent to a full-fledged "independent
school," a status that called for outstanding results under an official
plan to boost education standards.
The principal told the staff that she
would not be accepting new applications from pregnant teachers wanting to work
at the school. This deferral applies to pregnant teachers previously employed
by the school when it was semi-independent, but had to re-apply under the new
school status.
The principal's decree came as a result
of new pressures for academic excellence and a fear the pregnancy and the
subsequent maternity leave would mar teachers' performances.
"I am against recruiting pregnant
women as teachers," the principal was quoted as saying by Qatari daily The
Peninsula.
The principal even told married teachers
not to get pregnant to ensure that their work performance would not be affected
El-Guindi, who struggled with issues of
discrimination during her own pregnancies, admitted it was discouraging that so
many countries in the world were still not willing to accommodate women during
this time of their lives.
"Women carry the burden of bearing
the child and nursing the child. There is nothing to be done about this,"
El-Guindi said.
She added that the move was particularly
insulting since it took place at an all girls' school, where getting pregnant
just became a punishment.
"I think it will affect the girl's
sense of identity and the young women [at the school] will be very confused as
these rules are against the culture yet happening in their own school,"
El-Guindi said.
Faisal Hassan Fulad, the regional and
international director of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society, noted that
the principal's ban on pregnancy was not only in violation of human rights but
was also in contention with the CEDAW
(Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women).
"The ban means that in Qatar there
is discrimination, harassment and abuse toward women marrying, having
relations, becoming pregnant and having children," Fulad told The Media
Line.
He pointed out that there were likely
far more such abuses that have gone unreported.
"If these women who are working in
a private school are having problems with discrimination what about the female
domestic workers who number nearly 90,000, or the women working in the
factories? What about their rights?"
Fulad asked.
