I recently returned from a very successful day at Oxford University, where I was invited to speak on gender parity in the Gulf Societies at St. Antony’s College. I was delighted to speak to a diverse global audience which had a beautiful mix of genders, diplomats, business people and scholars.

Our societies are setting positive trends and transforming at an exponential pace, which was not a very familiar concept to many of the delegates. The Western societies are familiar with one particular image of women in the Middle East, that of a veiled woman who is illiterate and submissive. Any other image is difficult for Western minds to comprehend or accept until they visit the region and personally experience the ambitious female talent of women in the region who shatter glass ceilings every day.

My work in this area formally began in 2008 when the World Economic Forum invited me to become a member of its Gender Parity Group. It was a project that was dear to me, as my interest in this field began in earnest decades earlier when I qualified as a lawyer in 1999. I saw first-hand the gender bias and the unequal treatment women were subjected to, whether through deliberate actions or sub-conscious behavior. 

Women’s employment in the GCC is emblematic of the intensity and pace of economic development. There has been so much change, over such a short period of time, that the simultaneous projects of capturing resource wealth, increasing social welfare, and building infrastructure have set in motion new challenges for states to manage. The past 15 years have been the most exciting, I have witnessed phenomenal progress worldwide but also particularly in the Gulf region in terms of more women entering the labor force. I’ve also seen many women reach senior roles in the public sector and secure leadership roles in politics. All of this has been a major gain for women’s empowerment.

There is a paradox in women’s achievement across the globe, including the Gulf states. By most international standards, female citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council states have good access to education systems, affordable and professional health care, and social services. Women are graduating from university in higher numbers than their male peers, maternal health risks are low, child care and family support services are affordable and plentiful. 

The UAE has been leading on gender parity in the region, which has meant that young girls and women are flourishing across different industries including business, finance, politics and the economy. 

Women’s employment in the GCC is emblematic of the intensity and pace of economic development. There has been so much change, over such a short period of time.

Lubna Qassim

The leadership of the UAE is committed to gender parity and has taken it seriously, which has had a positive influence and impact on their communities but also more importantly on the region. Saudi Arabia has been under a positive spotlight for the past year and a half for a number of reasons, but most importantly for all the efforts toward giving Saudi women equal opportunities. The big headlines have amused and excited the global community.

However, the most recent Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum doesn’t share the same enthusiasm. It describes 2017 as a bad year globally in an otherwise good decade for women. The report concluded that the gender gap across health, education, politics, and the workplace actually widened for the first time since the group began tracking these indices in 2006. The reversal was driven mainly by declining gender equality in the workplace and political representation.

Governments have introduced laws and policies to promote gender equality and have worked hard in building a positive infrastructure for women to prosper in. Thousands of academic and scholarly studies and reports produced by the Big Four every year demonstrate a positive correlation between women and profits and women and prosperity. Despite all this, why are women underrepresented in C-Suite? Why do women account for only 2 percent of board positions in the GCC? Why are women struggling in the workplace? This challenge is not restricted exclusively to the Middle East; the picture is not any rosier in America or Europe. 

We all know women matter: at home, in business and in politics. Gender parity also appears to be the “new oil” everyone is discussing from east to west around the clock. However, the problems remain the same: data confirms that women have not seen enough progress in C-Suites or taking up more board positions or leadership roles in politics.

There are a number of barriers and challenges but one of the biggest that I would like to address is the corporate culture of organizations. Corporate culture is key to unlocking gender equality and the male CEOs are holding this key as I write this piece.

Culture is set from the top, so if we are to advance, gender equality must be a strategic priority for the CEOs and the board. It is critical that companies create a truly human environment in which people can be successful both professionally and personally, where they can be who they are and feel they belong, every day.

The culture of any and every organization is critical for everyone to thrive and to push the bottom line.

CEOs have a duty, among many other responsibilities, to build a culture of equality. It is essential to achieve gender equality because people, not programs, are what make a company inclusive, diverse and, as a result, successful.

CEOs and corporate executives who are alien to the concept of gender diversity, who don’t take it seriously in this age and who discriminate on the basis of gender frankly should not be holding such offices and should be accountable for violating United Nations goals.

Regrettably, many clueless male executives believe gender equality is a woman’s issue and should be tackled by women. For me, gender equality is a matter of good governance and the right for business. We will be unable to press for progress and it may sadly take another 100 years if male executives don’t play a role in gender parity. I urge men to lean in. Men don’t need to feel less masculine if they press for progress for gender equality.

At the core of this will be integrating women as an important societal force in a way that unleashes their full talent and potential for the benefit of all. Together we can create a new era that is more just, resilient, and inclusive of all.

 

  • Lubna Qassim is a global lawyer and an advocate for better corporate governance and diversity in the workplace. She is the founding chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s chapter of the 30% Club. Twitter: @lubnaqassim