When Khansa'a Abu Naji founded Meshbak, a women's community to empower women to reach their goals and set a strong foot in the creative industry, in 2015, she was an anomaly in a male dominated industry. She says that although the creative industry has ample opportunities, the culture and environment is inherently biased against women. Women make less than two percent of the advertising workforce, and even fewer women make it to the very top to reach executive roles or C-level management.
Her story and thoughts on the bias faced by women in the GCC resonates with a majority of the population in the region. We also have facts and figures to back the claim. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that while 75 percent of women in other countries work outside of their homes, the percentage of GCC women was 36, a starkly different number. Women from GCC are also a minority in the private sector. For instance, in 2009, Saudi women formed less than one percent of the private-sector workforce. In 2008, the representation for women in the workforce in Qatar was 2.6 percent (including public and private). The GCC has also fared rather poorly on the World Economic Forum index of gender equality.
While the numbers paint a grim picture, yet we see a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Names such as Arezou Shisheboran, Executive Director & Partner, Shisheboran Gallery; Bahjat Kanounji, Managing Director, BloomingWear; Sonia Ashoor, Founder & Principal, SADC; and Esraa Nusair, Founder & CEO, Yaseer are here to bring about a lasting change within the GCC.
While speaking about the development and growth of women's participation in the workforce and corporate world, specifically in the context of GCC, the numbers are compared to the Western countries. although the numbers tell one story, the underlying cause keeping women behind remains common even across emerging markets and the developed nations. Across the globe, women have been held back from gaining economic autonomy owing to factors such as gender bias, conservative cultures, safety concerns, and others, the case in the GCC is no different.
However, the region must understand that in order to fully unleash its economic potential, it is pertinent to leverage the talent, skills and knowledge of the entire population which must also include women. Women of today bring to the table exactly the same capabilities as their male counterparts.
The onus now falls on the corporate world and the Government to foster an environment that is conducive for women & their growth. this can include the right incentives, policies to encourage more women to actively join the workforce and contribute towards nation building.
