Maryam AlSaabri
AUE, Dubai:
Recently, numerous countries are calling for women empowerment and gender equality. The United Arab Emirates as one of the known leading countries in different sectors is dealing with the concept of “Women Empowerment” as one of the main 21st century challenges that the country would face. In other words, the UAE has not simply redefined the challenge by only setting the targets for that; however, it has started to embed the challenge from the government level to down towards the different sectors, including the private sector.
By 2017, I have read an announcement in one of the Government entities that grabbed my mind, which is:
“According to Dubai Statistics Center, the population size of the Emirate of Dubai is estimated by 2,698,600 individuals at the end of 2016, of whom 1,888,520 are males and 810,080 are females with rate
s of 69.98% and 30.02% respectively of the total population.”
If I will shed the light on females, the numbers are increasing, and the estimated population is still not simple for an Emirate full with opportunities like Dubai, where it is easy to find out the competition between genders in different sectors. Thus, if the given trend carried on, then the vision of having the UAE as a lead country at MENA region that is going to boost its economy through women contribution possibly will be a reality, which will enhance a new dimension of growth.
A proof of the ongoing process of development of women in UAE and their great amount of contribution in building the UAE economy has been realized in 2017, where an upgrade has been implemented and new ministers have been selected as new members at the UAE cabinet by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and four of them are females. Such disruptive shift in trusting women with decision making is leveraging the insights to reveal gender bias and taking actions to inspired conversations and set new expectations that motivate future disruptive change.
Maryam AlSaabri, 26 years old female working as a “Head of Future Fore
sight Section” at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs. Our entity is a male-dominant entity, which might be a normal thing for a security entity. Nevertheless, the UAE trends and the Dubai Vision is calling for gender equality and the women holding 20% of the lead position in every single entity.
Thus, I believe in gender equality due to its equal opportunity, and fairness. Such workforce diverse will obviously help in better understanding of entity’s requirements and though create innovative solutions to meet these requirements through maintaining the capabilities development among female Emirati leaders in aligned with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to cultivate the knowledge of UAE nationals towards shaping the future of the UAE. It is crucial for us to shape a diversity of perspectives, skills, experiences at various organizations’ culture at all levels (executive, supervisory, and leadership), and in all sectors.
Last but not least, as a “Head of Future Foresight Section” I prefer equipping female leaders with unusual tools and skills in order to help Dubai and the UAE make the unbelievable believable, and the impossible possible. Our female leaders have the high ability in creating a paradigm shift in correlation with how their entities operate, and respond to various unique current and future challenges, just by cultivating a culture of disruptive innovation within their sole.
