Emirati Women: Conceptions of Education and Employment (original) (raw)

The study examined the post-secondary experiences of seven Emirati women to investigate reasons for the female dominated post-secondary educational persistence which was at the time of the study 65% female to 35% male. The study used internet text messaging to interview the women about issues surrounding their post-secondary educational experience. The semi-structured interview questions were framed around the motivations, supports, rewards, and challenges to female educational participation in developing countries as described in the UNESCO (“Gender,” 2003) Global Monitoring Report and enriched with issues gleaned from sources specifically concerning Arab and Muslim women. Participants attributed several factors to female inclusion in post-secondary education and employment including a) compulsory education for boys and girls up to grade 10 and free to all qualifying Emirati students attending federally funded educational institutions up through 6 years of post-secondary education; b) establishing segregated schools, colleges, and universities for women which were at least equal to male facilities in terms of size, variety of program of study, and locational accessibility; c) enacting legislation guaranteeing similar civil and legal rights for women and men in education and employment; and d) providing incentives to companies to increase employment of UAE nationals males and females. According to the participants in this study, the UAE government strongly encouraged Emirati women to contribute to the economic development of the country. Even though the participants believed that the government laws and regulations guaranteed women equal rights with men, all participants acknowledged that cultural practices sometimes served as barriers to post-secondary education and employment including a) Emirati marriage customs; b) limited freedom of movement for Emirati women; c) requiring Emirati women to obtain permission of their guardians to engage in economic activity outside the home; and d) fierce competition with Emirati men for the preferred public sector jobs. Participants were additionally concerned about a) a low Emirati male post-secondary educational persistence; b) societal changes caused by male / female role shifting; and c) changing cultural values in Emirati society caused by exposure to the West. Emirati women believed that the way to solve the issues concerning them was through strengthened adherence to religious teachings rather than political solutions. The results of this study could be used to develop a quantitative instrument to administer to a representative sample of post-secondary students as a confirmation study.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other surrounding Gulf Arab nations, an increasing number of males are opting out of higher education. In the UAE less than 30% of students attending public higher education institutions are male. Little, however, is known about why some males choose to continue their education and others do not. This policy paper,which is drawn from the first part of a study on understanding male enrollment patterns in the UAE,looks at a sample of males who have continued on to higher education.The paper begins with an overview of higher education in the UAE. It then looks at the factors influencing the participation and persistence of males in general. Next it outlines the study from which the data presented was taken, taking a closer look at the characteristics of males who have continued to higher education, including the roles of parents, schools, and friends. Finally,the paper concludes by discussing the challenges facing males who choose to continue their education and how these might be dealt within the future.

Daleure, G. M., Albon, R., Hinkston, K., Ajaif, T., McKeown, J. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and other Gulf Cooperation ouncil (GCC) countries, tribal familial affiliations form the basis of society with opinions and viewpoints of parents and other family elders heavily influencing the decisions of younger Emiratis. Social transitions caused by rapid and progressive economic development have affected each consecutive generation with a vastly different set of social circumstances than the preceding generation. This paper presents results of a study investigating the types and extent of family involvement in Emirati students’ college education using an online bilingual survey with 1173 participants and telephone interview with 30 randomly selected guardians. Findings of the study indicate the presence of a generational gap in education and experience between Emirati students and family elders. The generational gap may lead to ineffective academic support and career preparation.

Emirati male students' success in higher education is filled with positive interactions between the students, faculty, and staff. The influence of faculty on the success of Emirati males is vital to the overall curricular success of this student population. The strong cultural ties to seeking out elders for guidance and influence is easily replicated on college and university campuses. In this manuscript, we examine the history of education in the Middle East from its inception to higher education's meteoric rise. By examining the past and present education, we will explore how the cultural and societal norms have provided an instrumental key to the factors that encourage success amongst Emirati males. A two-fold study explored the factors that Emirati males believed had the most significant influence on their curricular and co-curricular success in higher education environments. Findings indicate that Emirati male achievement in higher education may be mediated by a sense o...

In any society, the main production factor is manpower, that is, the human source that has been continuously emphasized quantitatively and qualitatively by economists. Women, a stratum receiving less attention as manpower, need more education appropriate to the requirements of our society. As a country that pays attention to women’s training and education, Iran has provided women with abundant facilities for their education. However, there are still many obstacles for Iranian female graduates, some of which have been addressed in this study. The present study has adopted a sociological approach to the investigative measurement of Khoramabad Islamic Azad University female graduates. The data has been gathered through a questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.85. For data analysis SPSS software was employed. The sample size was estimated on the basis of Cochran test, and through the multi-stage sampling of population, the sample was determined. Based on research questions, w...