1. 11gulfbusiness.com
m
Expatriate women in the
United Arab Emirates face
greater workplace challenges
than their male counterparts
due to difficulties sponsoring
their husbands, a senior figure
has claimed.
Research agency Hall &
Partners’ chief financial officer
for Europe and Asia plus the
Middle East, Deepa Shah, said
one of the biggest barriers for
women rising up the career
ladder in the emirates was
bringing a spouse over with
them,whilemenwerelesslikely
to face the same hurdle.
‘It’s easier for a woman to get a great
job than a visa for her spouse’
Sketch by Rafa Sañudo
Shahaddedthatexpectations
of a work-life family balance put
extra pressure on women when
applyingfortoproles,incontrast
to their male peers.
Speaking to Gulf Business,
she said: “One of the big bar-
riers I’ve noticed with regards
to women here is, when you
look at the number of expats,
women cannot always get spon-
sorship for their spouses. They
can bring their family over and
get a great job here, but then it’s
really difficult for their spouse to
get a job here. If you flip it the
other way round, it’s easier for
By Eleanor Dickinson
a man to get a visa for his wife.
So that’s a potential barrier in
the UAE. And if you go back to
talent pools and getting the best
group of people, then it’s some-
thing they need to look at. It’s
notsomethingyouseeinEurope
or Asia, so it would be great if
things could change here.”
She added: “There’s still this
traditionandstereotypethatthe
man is the breadwinner and the
women stays at home. That’s
an east and west problem, but I
think the mind-set is changing
as the generation shifts. I think
it will happen, but it takes time."
FoundedinLondonin1991,
H&P specialises in brand and
communication research cov-
ering areas including consumer
services, business-to-business
and e-brands, among others.
The company was bought
by global media network Omni-
comin2003andnowhasoffices
in the United States, Australia,
Singapore, Tokyo and Delhi, as
well as its Middle East hub in
Dubai Media City.
Originally from London,
Shah joined H&P in 1999 in a
junior role and rose up to the
position of CFO in 2014.
She said: "I joined 17 years
ago when it was just 30 people
– it was a tiny company – and I
was given some great opportu-
nities,butalsoworkedveryhard
and really pushed myself for-
ward. I am not afraid of putting
my hand up and saying ‘I can do
that’andIalwayshavedonethat
and will continue to do so.”
6-16 News&Views Aug16.indd 11 7/28/16 2:56 PM