Gender and Management Issues in the Knowledge Based Economy: Participation of Women in the Arabian Gulf

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), though politically new as a country, is steeped in history and culture. It has enshrined for men and women, both in its Constitution and through the commitment of the rulers of the various Emirates, the rights and opportunities for education and advancement in any sphere of endeavour.
Though over one third of graduates in the UAE are women, they account for less than 12% of the entire workforce. If the number of employees in the areas of Health and Education were removed, the figure would be substantially less. What is worse is that very few of those who make it to the labor market, make it to the boardrooms or upper echelons of leadership and management.
It is therefore essential to raise the profile of these issues in the region and set a broad agenda for change. A clear understanding of the issues pertaining to gender and management is needed and, importantly, findings need to be disseminated appropriately to encourage best practice in the workplace. In addition, awareness of these issues in a broad societal context needs to be achieved through programs which engage the public at large and stimulate discourse regarding the issues.
The paper thus investigates the city of Dubai in the UAE as potentially a successful model for change in the region, in issues pertaining to the necessity for the full participation of women in the workforce and at managerial level in the developing knowledge based economy. The research further indicates that in order for the region to succeed, it must utilize its entire human resource.