Female leadership in the GCC needs our support

Maximising female talent in the GCC – why organisations need a more strategic approach towards hiring women to create more leaders for the region.

More women than ever are in demand as leaders. According to research by Oxford Strategic Consulting, a staggering 95 per cent of female school graduates pursue further education in subjects ranging from the arts and humanities to science, technology, engineering and maths over and above their male counterparts at 80 per cent. However, despite this encouraging uptrend in education, research has shown that there is a significant disconnect in terms of educational success and lack of reaching senior management roles in the GCC. What are the reasons for this?

Surmountable barriers

The usual explanations concern impediments to “making it” in the workplace such as work-family balance, social and culturally loaded responsibilities, transportation and lack of appropriate jobs or opportunities. These barriers are not unique to the GCC, but rather are key issues faced by women all over the world – namely childcare, distance from the workplace and lack of flexibility. However, women in the GCC are less encumbered than their global counterparts, as they have access to affordable domestic help and an infrastructure conducive to full-time employment.

So what is going on? Research shows that the vast majority of graduate females in the UAE, for example, prefer to look after their families and need flexible working hours to help balance home and work life.

Employment options

How can organisations gain and retain this well-educated female talent pool? Research suggests that alternatives to 9 to 5 at the office are of paramount importance to the vast majority, and alternative options such as working from home, part-time hours, contracting, job sharing, flexi-days and hot-desking could be at least an interim solution. If organisations took a more strategic approach to the hiring of women in the GCC, they may reap huge rewards in terms of retaining women for the long haul, with the hopes that some may enter the realm of coveted executive positions.

Organisations also need to explore how adopting flexible office hour approaches can generate greater revenue, bolster local economies and foster the retention and development of female human capital, while also retaining important national identities and values.

Leading the world in leadership

Previous research carried out by Oxford on the Gulf Arab leadership style found that a far greater proportion of GCC nationals need to be leaders than those in any other region. For example, the UAE needs 64 per cent of Emiratis to be leaders if all leadership positions are to be filled by nationals. Therefore, what about females within this 64 per cent?

It is clear that the onus is on building female leaders fast, supported by the right tools, the right infrastructure and the right training. To take this to the next level, organisations need to identify which females are best suited to being leaders, nurture and recruit at graduate level and beyond, and mentor to maximise female contribution.

Solution to advancement

To effectively tap into the enormous asset that is females in the GCC, organisations need to champion female development and provide the right support. Identifying a need to make changes is the first step, and implementing change is the next. There is an urgent need to create globally accredited leadership programmes across the GCC where women can find an action plan to elevate their power and status in the region.

Female coaching is also of paramount importance because it allows current leaders to coach would-be leaders in a professional, nurturing environment. Companies can also help bridge this gender imbalance by providing adequate induction sessions and on-the-job training.

If 50 per cent of Emiratis are female and only 25 to 32 per cent are employed, then there is an obvious disconnect that needs to be addressed by organisations aiming to increase their presence in the GCC and by local government and private sector organisations. This highlights the urgent need to raise the profile of women in the GCC and to tap into this tremendous talent. Why wait?

Najat Benchiba-Savenius is the head of social and economic research at Oxford Strategic Consulting, which specialises in building human capital across the GCC and Europe