In the past, women have struggled with inequal access to opportunities, resulting from systemic distinctions, prejudice and antiquated gender norms. This has undermined equal opportunities and hasn’t allowed women to accelerate in the workplace. Despite significant progress in the 21st century, many women still struggle to balance personal and professional responsibilities, whether that includes running a household or running a business.
In the UAE, there was previously a sizeable gap between women who graduated with university degrees, and women who joined the workforce. However, bold moves by the government coupled with proactive policies in the private sector, have rapidly turned this around. According to data published by the UAE government, women hold 66 percent of government roles in the UAE, including 30 percent of senior leadership positions and decision-making roles.
Diversity and inclusion also feature very prominently in the national agenda, and the UAE has made great strides in facilitating women’s economic participation. Women can take extended maternity leave of 90 days instead of 45 days. The UAE Federal National Council also aims to ensure that 50 percent of its workforce is staffed by women.
Offering equal opportunities at the workplace and encouraging more women to take up leadership positions naturally brings more diversity to the decision-making table, enhancing the calibre of organisations to think fast and strategise to meet the demands of the changing business environment. This is likely to lead to a more resilient, agile, and adaptive leadership required in the current business climate.
It’s equally important to remember that it’s not just about creating leadership roles, but also about offering equal opportunities for women to compete. Many organisations approach diversity with a narrow and inorganic view. However, setting quantitative targets to ensure equal number of women in the workforce isn’t likely to solve the main issue that women face. It could even lead to potential marginalisation, making women feel like they didn’t ‘earn it’ or weren’t assessed based on their skills and merit and were simply a ‘quota hire’.
Better gender diversity practices can go a long way in ensuring that women get the recognition and opportunities crucial to excel at the workplace. But it can’t be a one-off programme. Diversity must be built from the grassroots for women to truly be represented at the workplace.
We can’t expect diversity at senior levels without investing and encouraging more women to participate ground up. This is especially relevant today, when organisations are trying to navigate business in the midst of unprecedented events – including the pandemic, digital adoption, emerging workplace innovations and a changing workforce.
From a macro perspective, diversity and inclusion involve ongoing initiatives, programmes, mentoring, and trainings to attract, retain and encourage women to advance their careers. There’s no doubt women bring a different perspective to the table – and it is this difference in viewpoint that can be beneficial to every workplace.
For example, KPMG’s Women Business Leaders’ Outlook Report revealed that female leaders were significantly more people-focused than their male counterparts, with 64 percent of UAE women prioritising investment in developing their workforce’s skills and capabilities compared with 24 percent for men, who prioritised investing in new technology.
To allow women to flourish, organisations must focus on creating a culture focused on meritocracy, while also allowing flexibility. This requires introspection to identify the best ways to help women achieve their maximum potential and peak of their career paths.
Intrapreneurships are increasingly becoming a useful tool among organisations to empower women to take more accountability and ownership, while providing access to growth and personal development, something many may have not received before.
Sponsorships and mentorships are increasingly becoming an essential part of diversity and inclusion efforts within companies to create an ecosystem where all can flourish. At KPMG, we run a successful female mentorship programme for existing female employees to have an ecosystem to flourish and achieve.
Pursuing external collaborations with organisations in academia, non-profit, etc. is also key to gender equality. It ensures women have equal opportunities irrespective of their social, financial, and educational backgrounds. Organisations must remember that talent can be spotted in ways that go beyond a resume filled with world-class educational experiences.
This insight is crucial to build a future pipeline of female talent. Many women may never have had the opportunity or access to world-class education, financial security, or skills trainings. However, they stand to gain enormously from professional learning opportunities that organisations invest in – which can be a win-win for both them and their employers. It is these learning and professional opportunities that creates the building blocks for a domino effect of equal opportunities for all in the workplace.