REFLECTIONS OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF SELECTED WOMEN OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE): A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS INVESTIGATING THE MOTIVATIONS, SUPPORTS, REWARDS, AND CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED BY SEVEN EMIRATI WOMEN IN THE YEAR 2004 (original) (raw)

2005, Doctoral Dissertation Ed. D.

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.

Women and Globalization in the GCC: Negotiating States, Agency, and Social Change

Gulf Research Center, DSG, and Lundt University, 2012

This proceedings document summaries a selection of papers presented at the Gulf Research Meeting (Cambridge University). Collectively, these papers problematize the “position” of women in the GCC by situating their experience within the framework and rhetoric of globalization in order to arrive at an understanding of the diverse institutional and cultural mechanisms that influence gender dynamics in the region. Specifically, the papers explored the variety of ways in which responses to global economic, political, technological, and migratory flows influence the position of women in the GCC and simultaneously how women themselves utilize the institutions and rhetoric of globalization to improve their own position.

Perspectives of Emirati Married Women in Higher Education

United Arab Emirates (UAE) women have enthusiastically taken advantage of the educational opportunities available for all after the discovery of oil. Their access to higher education has expanded considerably, opening new opportunities to them for participation and career development. This exploratory study has attempted to gain an insight into the challenges married female Emirati students undergo during their learning journey to pursue the Bachelor of Education teaching degree. The study also examines motivating factors and strategies, albeit individual and/or institutional serving as support factors. The research has been positioned within a socio-cultural framework of the UAE context. This article delineates the complexities of balancing married life juxtaposed with the demands of being a student teacher within a 21st century tomorrow’s multicultural perspective school framework. The need for tertiary level supportive services empowering and inspiring these students is also discussed within the daily life family reality, community and society at large.

Conference Proceedings: Gulf Comparative Education Society’s Fifth Annual Symposium on Locating the National in the International: Comparative Perspectives on Language, Identity, Policy, and Practice

2014

The Gulf Comparative Education Society (GCES) held its fifth annual symposium under the sponsorship of the Higher Colleges of Technology, the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, and Middlesex University Dubai from April 8 to 10, 2014. Entitled “Locating the National in the International: Comparative Perspectives on Language, Identity, Policy, and Practice,” the symposium was held at the Dubai Women’s College in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The purpose of this year’s GCES symposium was to examine issues relating to language and cultural heritage in the context of the creation of inclusive and outward-looking educational spaces. As countries in the region seek simultaneously to preserve traditions and culture while embracing modernity, challenges inevitably arise, particularly in the education sector.

Women's Sport Participation in the United Arab Emirates: A Case Study

July, 2018

This study identified and analysed contemporary social (religion, class and culture) conditions that facilitate, and/or restrict, Emirati women’s sports participation in the public sphere in the United Arab Emirates. Drawing on a feminist poststructural framework, the study sought to analyze the discursive enactment of (disruptive) gender identity positions. … Read more

Views on the “Knowledge Economy Project” of the Arabian Gulf: A Gender Perspective From the UAE In Education and Management

ijd.cgpublisher.com

A framework for organizational justice can be used to understand how individuals within organizations respond to a variety of human resource practices and also can be used prescriptively in designing the procedures and enactment of such human resource practices. This study assesses the impact of organizational justice on job performance and job satisfaction of unskilled expatriate employees in the Arabian Gulf region. The paper investigates the impact of demographic variables such as nationality of workers and multicultural factors on organizational justice. Organizational justice measures developed by Niehoff and Moorman (1993) were utilized to test their impact on job performance and job satisfaction. The paper further explores various organizational models in order to identify the most suitable model for organizational justice in the region.

The Eighth International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, 17 - 20 June 2008, Montreal, Canada

Randeree, K., Gaad, E., Management and Education in the K-Economies of the Arabian Gulf: A Gender Perspective, The Eighth International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, 17 - 20 June 2008, Montreal, Canada. This paper investigates the UAE as potentially a successful model for change in the Arabian Gulf region, in issues pertaining to women in education and the necessity for the full participation of women in the workforce and at managerial level in the developing knowledge-based economy. The purpose of the paper is to gauge the opinions and biases of the educated Emirati regarding prevalent gender related issues through qualitative research. The paper focuses on the views of young Emirati men and women on the present and future role of women in Emirati society. The research indicates that in order for K-economies in the region to succeed, they must utilise their entire human resource and encourage increased participation of Arab women in the workplace and their recruitment into senior management levels within organisations. The implications of the research are that there are a number of challenges facing Emirati society and by implication the Arabian Gulf region, which need to be addressed if change and advancement envisaged by the region is to be realised.

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