Qatar yesterday marked the International Women’s Day. This year’s celebration, under the theme ‘Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow’, comes in appreciation for the contributions of women and girls around the world, and in recognition of their efforts in all fields, as well as their significant role in building the future of nations.
In implementation with the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Qatar attaches great importance to women in all fields, which has supported Qatari women to achieve success in all fields and sectors, thanks to the equal opportunities provided by the State in terms of care, education and employment.
Qatar’s constitution prohibits discrimination against women, and the State continues its efforts to implement, approve and expand the scope of policies that give women the freedom and power to make their own decisions. Neither violence against women nor domestic violence in that matter, are tolerated.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment is a basic and pivotal pillar in the success of Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV), which has given great attention to the issue of empowering women, enhancing their capabilities, and ensuring that they get their right to work.
QNV 2030 also attaches great attention to women’s right to participate in the economy, as well as provide them with decent work and social protection, as Qatar has been at the forefront of women’s rights advocates at the local and global levels.
The State has made many efforts, plans and strategies over the past decades to protect and care for women within the family, preserve their dignity, and prevent any kind of discrimination or abuse against them.
Qatari women have been given elements and aids that have provided them with many benefits that contributed to their protection and empowerment, and the Qatari family in general receives great attention from the state in order to enhance the status of women in society.
Women in Qatar occupy prominent roles in all aspects, including decision-making in the economic and political fields, and Qatar is also in the lead of the region’s indicators on gender equality, including the highest rate of female participation in the labour force and equal wages in the government sector, in addition to the highest rate of female enrolment in universities.
According to the latest data issued by the Planning and Statistics Authority, the total number of female students enrolled in university education reached 24,807, which is equivalent to 70.4% of the total enrolment in the 2019 academic year.
The total number of female graduates from university education in 2019 amounted to about 3,917 female students, equivalent to 67.5% of the total graduates this year.
Based on Qatar’s belief that education is the basis for equal opportunities and development, the state has strengthened its efforts to ensure that all women have access to the highest levels of education and opportunities in all sectors, especially in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sectors.
Women occupy several of the most influential positions in the country, in addition to prominent leadership positions on various commercial sectors, as nearly 20% of commercial records in the country are registered in the name of Qatari businesswomen.
The number of commercial records increased from 1,400 in 2015 to nearly 4,000 in 2020.
Qatar continues its commitment to co-operate with human rights organisations, civil society, members of legislative bodies and individuals, to empower women within the country and make progress at the level of society as a whole.
Speaking of Qatari women, it is of absolute necessity to mention the great role played by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, as Her Highness’ role has not only been limited to local affairs, but extends regionally, globally, and in the Arab world in general.
One of the most prominent initiatives that Her Highness has offered at the global level is the ‘Education Above All’ initiative, as she developed the ‘Educate a Child’ programme, which contributed to reaching 10mn children who do not have access to education around the world, in addition to the ‘Zero’ strategy launched by the foundation, which aims to reduce the percentage of out-of-school children in several countries.
In 2012, Her Highness Sheikha Moza launched Education Above All Foundation, which aims to provide new life opportunities for the underprivileged in the developing world.
Four programmes were set under the foundation’s umbrella, including ‘Educate a Child’, Al Fakhoora, Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC) and Reach Out To Asia.
Her Highness also paid great attention to all aspects related to women, which contributed to highlighting the role of Qatari women and motivating them to advance society and diversify the sources of human resources.
Promoting active citizenship among the people of Qatar is at the core of Her Highness Sheikha Moza’s work, as she encourages initiatives that develop skills, teamwork, self-reliance and social participation, with the aim of making Qatar a developed, prosperous and permanently stable society, through what it offers to achieve its goals by building and establishing many initiatives and service actors that advance society, and are concerned with the fields of family, education, science, health and cultural heritage.
Women occupy a prominent role in Qatar, where they compete with men in the highest administrative and scientific positions, and made an effective effort through their contribution in various fields within and outside Qatari society.
Qatar has also highlighted the distinct role of women by strengthening the role of social organisations concerned with their affairs, expressing its strong belief in the status of Qatari women and their ability to occupy the highest positions and perform the roles entrusted to them with vitality, effectiveness and responsibility.
Qatar Chamber Board Member and Chairperson of Qatari Businesswomen Forum Ibtihaj al-Ahmadani stressed that the government policies that support Qatari women have contributed to empowering women and activating their economic participation, pointing out the wide participation of women in the fields of economic development, and their remarkable presence in the labour marker and entrepreneurship in particular.
In a statement, Ibtihaj al-Ahmadani explained to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the number of Qatari women who partially or fully own companies is about 7,000, while the number of women authorised to sign and have the right to manage in companies is about 4,900, adding that the number of Qatari women authorised to sign is more than 4,700.
She also emphasised that Qatari businesswomen have projects in various economic sectors, especially in the field of small and medium enterprises, adding that their projects vary to include the sectors of industry, tourism, real estate, contracting and construction, trade, services, and others, in investments amounting to billions of dollars in the local market, in addition to investments in the stock market, real estate activities, tourism, and others areas.
Al-Ahmadani expressed her confidence that the support that businesswomen receive opens doors to play greater roles at the global and regional levels, adding that this support allows them to have a distinguished presence in international forums and gatherings, to extend their activities outside the regional system to reach the global level.
Qatar has a leading role in all fields, and part of the development process that Qatar is witnessing is investing in individuals, as the country has provided educational opportunities for Qatari girls at all levels of education, including undergraduate and graduate levels.
Women started their role in school education, which was also led by women through the late Amna Mahmoud al-Jaidah, showing the important impact in forming and creating a new renaissance for the state built on higher foundations.
The disciplines that women entered varied, such as education, aviation, engineering, medicine, law, international affairs, Shariah, media, literature, arts, and applied sciences of all kinds.
Women in Qatar are still expanding in the range of disciplines they study to enrich the country in wide fields that compete and keep pace with the times.
Qatari women have assumed high positions in education, as HE Sheikha al-Mahmoud was the first Minister of Education and the first Qatari and Gulf lady to hold this important ministerial position.
Also Dr Sheikha Abdullah al-Misnad was appointed as President of Qatar University, and she was the first lady to hold this position.
Qatari women continued their work in the health field, in which they held high positions that reflected their successes in development and work, as HE Sheikha Ghalia bint Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani was appointed as Minister of Health, while HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari is currently in charge of the Ministry of Public Health.
The woman has also been appointed to several positions as director of the Hamad Medical Corp and responsible for Nursing Administration, pharmacy and the health centres.
The Qatari women also entered the field of law and headed several departments at the Ministry of Justice. Maryam Abdullah al-Jaber was appointed as the first public prosecutor at the Gulf level, in a precedent that was also considered the first of its kind at the level of countries in the region.
The role of Qatari women included the diplomatic work in which they assumed senior positions, thus confirming the legitimacy of their right to represent Qatar abroad, as HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani was appointed as the first female ambassador to serve as the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the European Headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, and then she became the permanent representative of Qatar to the UN General Assembly in New York.
HE Lolwah bint Rashid AlKhater has also been appointed as Assistant Foreign Minister, making her the first Qatari woman to assume this position.
Qatari women also emerged in the financial and investment sectors, as Sheikha Hanadi bint Nasser al-Thani managed the first investment company established in the region, affirming the ability of Qatari women to assume leadership roles, and then the Qatari Businesswomen Association was established.
The participation of women was not limited to that role only, but also extended to work in banks, based on her higher educational qualifications, which she deserved well, and reached presidential positions, achieving many successes and financial and administrative excellence at work.
Women had a great contribution to the tourism sector, as they participated in tourism events organised by the country.
Qatari women have also excelled in the field of fine art, photography and theatre decoration and entered the field of media until they gradually occupied major positions in the field of audio-visual media.
Qatari women have also played an important role in charitable institutions by providing assistance and subsidies inside and outside the community, and by preparing field research on needy families.
They have also excelled in the fields of science and technology, as they hold many important positions in the country and win international awards, and they have a presence in the Cabinet and the Shura Council, as well as participating in decision-making processes, and also successfully manages many institutions.
Internationally, many prominent Qatari women have won a number of international awards for their dedication and hard work in their respective fields.
The Regional Subcommittee on Polio Eradication and Outbreaks at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has chosen HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari as co-chair of the committee, during her participation in the fourth meeting of the Subcommittee, which was held recently via video conference.
Dr Hanadi al-Hamad, National Lead for Healthy Ageing in the National Health Strategy at the Ministry of Public Health has recently awarded “His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Prize for Research in Health Care for the Elderly and Health Promotion.”
Qatar has played prominent roles at the global level with regard to women’s rights and defending them in all international forums, the most prominent of which is the Qatari role in advocating Afghan women.
Qatar believes in the importance of women’s full participation in various political, economic and social fields, and this is embodied in its policies at the local and international levels.
In many international forums, the country affirmed the importance of involving women in peace processes, taking into account the preservation of the rights of women and girls and the promotion of their participation in society.
Qatar affirmed that, from its position as an active and pioneering country in the field of peaceful settlement of conflicts and disputes, it believes that the participation of women in making, preserving, building and sustaining peace is a vital and prerequisite for the success of these endeavours.
It also continues to devote its efforts in co-operation with its partners from countries and international organisations to ensure the advancement of women’s rights, protect their security and enhance their participation in all fields, particularly in peace and security operations, especially since this is one of the factors for the success of those operations and thus is in the interest of all. – (QNA)
Qatari Woman, International Women's Day infographic
