With strict traditions and unique (from a Western perspective) national laws in place, women’s rights in the Middle East remain vastly different from what they are in the West. However, whilst some countries such as Saudi Arabia continue to enforce regulations which stipulate strict rules against women, other Arab societies including the emirate nations such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai have begun loosening restrictions.
As Western culture permeates the Middle East restrictions against women in the workplace have gradually been lifted, with both locals and foreign women able to find job opportunities. Traditionally working within the nursing and teaching sectors, Arab women have now begun to find a place in the finance and banking sector and as the loosening of laws increases so too have the regulations for foreign women looking for work loosened. Whilst the majority of expatriates continue to be men, their spouses are now beginning to find work too and, though additional paperwork and sponsorship is required, for the most part working women are becoming more common.
Like Arab women many expatriate women can find job opportunities within the nursing and educational sectors. In addition increasing tourism and the need for managerial expertise is opening opportunities for hotel administrators, public relations, advertising and more.
Generally most women in the workplace are safeguarded against issues like sexual harassment due to the severe repercussions for the perpetrator. An influx of eastern European prostitutes has lowered the respect for foreign women, making it paramount that females in the workplace take care not to befriend male workers, causing misunderstandings regarding flirtatiousness to arise. However, with a good understanding of local religion, culture and law, women from abroad are increasingly finding jobs in the UAE and the Middle East, making for a crucial change in the traditional Arab workplace.
