Women complain of glass ceiling in ‘male-dominant’ culture

Emirati women often report – and request – different treatment at workplaces, saying they are held back by the attitude of their male colleagues

ABU DHABI // Emirati women in the UAE have complained about their inability to grow and learn in the workplace.
S?F, 32, who joined her organisation in 2006, said she was dissatisfied at her old job because she was "not allowed to go up the career ladder".
"The main reason was simply that my manager hindered my progress and never backed me up," she said. "I think he did that because I was more educated, in the sense that I had many professional certificates and he was compared to me a lot."
She said no male colleague would be "100 per cent comfortable" with a more knowledgeable female colleague.
"No matter how much progress has occurred in the working environment, our culture will always be a male-dominant one."
Recently, S?F moved to another department where she has the opportunity to use every resource to build her knowledge.
Even though women are given the chance to lead in the workplace, men still take full control in managerial positions, she said.
But S?F said she felt "valued and trusted" by her male colleagues now that she is in a new position.
"My manager is supportive and is really giving new information. This allows me to really work hard and give more as well as learn more."
Sara, 25, said she recently started working at a government company, but has been "doing nothing" since she joined the agency.
"First of all, I was given a job in a different specialisation. The people working with me are all given duties, but I am asked to watch only to learn," she said.
She said she has voiced her frustration to her manager several times, but the issue has not been resolved.
"I keep telling him I need to work in a field I understand, but I'm not anticipating any changes," she said.
Hamad, 36, a manager, said although he tried to keep a balance between men and women on his team, the women always "seem to fail".
"As a manager, I understand the bigger responsibilities that lie under the team. Every individual has their own strengths and weaknesses and I have to take them into consideration, yet the females in the group tend to show negligence at work," he said.
He said he did not know the reason for "slacking", but that he had tried to work around it.
"I come up with workshops, training courses, and lectures. All of which have effects for nearly a week and then fade out," he said.
Even though the men on the team are "not perfect", Hamad said, they tended to take their duties more seriously.
"The women, on the other hand, allow the men to take over the duties that they are responsible for," he said.
Um Ahmed, who works in one of the capital's ministries, said men and women have equal responsibilities. Married women with children, however, are asked if they would prefer to have a lighter work load because of their other responsibilities at home.
"Work is work. As women, they [the management] take other responsibilities into account, but in general we all do the same job," she said.
She said the women were "actually more appreciated" and their ideas were taken into consideration by the management.
She said her male colleagues and superiors were "encouraging and very cooperative".
Um Ahmed, however, said some women did not receive many promotions mainly because of their other duties at home.
A human resources specialist from a major investment company said not many women complained about a shortage of work.
But there are procedures that the department must follow to ensure women are treated fairly.
"Depending on the complaint, we have to first confirm an issue is presented. Once we are sure we confront the employee, listen to their reasoning and then resort to giving a verbal warning followed by a written warning," she said.
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