High rate of unemployment among Qatari women, reveal expert
The unemployment rate among Qatari women is alarmingly high, although more number of females graduate every year, revealed a Qatari woman planning expert during a seminar held in Qatar yesterday.
Between the years 1973 and 2002, Qatar University produced more than 69 percent women graduates. Despite this, the rate of unemployment among Qatari females is considerably high. The rate of female employment was just 30.3 percent during 2004, dominating in education and health sectors and remaining marginal in other sectors.
Dr.Laila Dhiab, an expert at General Secretariat of Development and Planning (GSDP) presented this fact in her paper at a three-day symposium on labour strategy, held at the Millennium Hotel, hosted by GSDP.
Dhiab stated that men received more opportunities for education, training and employment than women, due to social and cultural factors, while, Qatari women have to face a host of challenges on the social and cultural fronts.
In case of women, education is not associated to employment opportunities, as families pressurize them to opt for easier subjects such as the Islamic studies, social sciences and humanities. Most of the time, there were little or no education (before the 1980s).
Although things have changed considerably since then, families are still hesitant to send women overseas for pursuing their education. Most reputed foreign universities have set up their campuses here, but, parents are still reluctant to send their daughters to co-educational institutions.
The number of Qatari women employed in the private sector is negligible, where there are galore of opportunities awaiting them. However, other factors such as the shift timings, married women with school-going children, and lack of social security are other reasons behind Qatari women staying away from private jobs.
“However, a beginning could be made by encouraging women to take up employment in private firms on part-time basis. A Qatari woman considers employment as an economic necessity, and in the absence of that necessity, employment loses its importance for them. But, a change in attitude is necessary, and it is high-time that women realize that employment has cultural and social values as well,” says Dhiab.
Posted on 3/11/2007