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29 March 2024

More than half of GCC women aim for top jobs

62% of women surveyed aspire management role in next seven years. (Shutterstock)

Published
By Staff

Career women in the GCC are ambitious and want to lead in their organisations, with over 50 per cent of those surveyed aiming at senior or board level position within next seven years, according to a report by Pearl Initiative, a not-for-profit organisation.

The report, titled ‘Women’s Careers in the GCC – The CEO Agenda’, follows a GCC-wide research programme on women in senior management conducted by Pearl Initiative in collaboration with United Nations Global Compact and Sharjah Business Women Council.

The report, supported by Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation, GE, PwC, and Tamer Group, examines the position of women on the corporate ladder across the region, and seeks to determine what can be done to increase equity in workplace across all levels.

The report states that only 12 per cent of CEOs around the world are female and women are lost from the career progression pipeline two to three times faster than men, despite global hiring rates being equal between genders.
 


In spite of challenges, women in the GCC understand the importance of a good education and have high aspirations when it comes to their career with 62 per cent of those surveyed aspiring to a management role in the next seven years while 86 per cent think that education has been vital for their career progression.

“Countries in the GCC have made significant strides in recent years by increasing the participation of women in tertiary education and in the workforce. Yet the number of women advancing to senior executive and board levels within organisations in the GCC remains low,” said Imelda Dunlop, Executive Director, Pearl Initiative.

The report, which polled more than 600 senior businesswomen across the GCC, makes five key recommendations for senior management.

1# Improve work/life balance: flexible working is key with performance appraisal based on achievements rather than time spent in the office.

2# Create a balanced culture. CEOs can play a vital role by visibly supporting women at work. The key is to ensure more women make it through middle management to more senior positions, and the ‘tone in the middle’ will take its cue from the ‘tone at the top’

3# Invest in building career paths, not only more support and mentoring for talented women, but more diversity training for men.

4# Adopt HR policies that ensure equity in the workplace, including policies on recruitment, maternity leave, pay and promotion, and targets for numbers of women at each managerial level.

5# Be an advocate in the wider community, by using their own public profile to raise awareness of the value of a more diverse workplace, and the major contribution talented women can make to their organisations and economies.

While the report acknowledges significant progress that has been made in the region for working women, it highlights several key areas of concern. Eighty per cent of working women in the GCC feel they are disadvantaged in the workplace simply for being a woman.

Similarly, only 25 per cent of women polled think they are treated equally at workplace with 75 per cent saying they cannot advance as quickly as men.

Juggling working life and responsibilities at home is one of the biggest challenges facing working women in the GCC.

While 71 per cent think their family has been vital to their career progression, 34 per cent do not want to sacrifice other aspects of life such as the family. Forty-five per cent believe that a good work-life balance is feasible and 64 per cent believe that society thinks it is acceptable for married women with children to work.