Our discussion started off with ‘what are the challenges women face in the workplace in Dubai, specifically in the communications industry?’ In my opinion, women in Dubai face three major obstacles from the start:

1. Life in Dubai in specific is very hectic. I remember reading a book about the McDonaldization of Society by George Ritzer back when I was in university, and thinking that this only applies to the U.S; however, I realize that this applies globally as well and in particular, to Dubai. The communications industry in Dubai is McDonaldized. Hectic and long working hours, poor work-life balance, and being at the mercy of your clients night and day are just some of the factors that lead to stressful experiences in the workplace.

2. UAE laws, like some other countries around the world, do not cater to retaining women in the workplace. I can swear that the UAE maternity law is written by a man because 45 days off for maternity is not enough for a new mother (or father) to connect with their newborn. I guess the U.S. is pretty bad too when it comes to maternity. The UAE law obviously needs to change.

3. At a micro level, companies in the MENA region are often managed by men and therefore, have not catered to retaining women in the workplace. What for? Women work until they have families and then they leave;  you know what, that is ok! Is it? The number of women working in the communications industry in Dubai is increasing dramatically so it is time for all organizations to start thinking about how to keep us in the workforce and at the same time, save money by not having to replace us!

Coaching women and mothers on how to handle all the constraints that the above three obstacles imposes on them is actually a very good idea, but will this lead to any concrete change? Will less women quit because they will learn how to better integrate their work with there personal life regardless of the environmental  and social pressures they face? I personally feel that there needs to be more concrete changes at the micro level when it comes to the culture of a company and how they plan to retain women. Changing laws is a different ball game, but changing a culture may be in our control. I actually believe that it is not the women that need coaching (only), but the men that run organizations do too. By changing their mindset, we can then push for flex hours, part-time opportunities, nurseries at the workplace and longer maternity. I find it ironic that companies in this region strive to be like the top 100 companies in the world, but brush the retention of mothers under the carpet.

What does your company do to retain women and mothers in the workforce?

Then we started talking about our fathers and how different they are from our husbands or brothers – not in a bad way, just different. But hey! Guess what?! We are different from our mothers too. So, I guess we need to sit and really think of what is expected from our partners and make our expectations realistic.  Understanding that we, as women, are different too will help put things in perspective; maybe it’s time to find joy in the differences – biological or other- that make our partnership unique.