In the last few years, Gulf companies have increasingly developed understanding on the importance of diversity and inclusion initiatives. However, organisations can do more to support women in the workforce for their career success, Yasmine Omari (pictured), Executive Director of Pearl Initiative, said at a webinar on “Implementing the Business Case for Diversity” yesterday.
During the event, Omari highlighted the results of a study conducted by the Pearl Initiative, a leading non-profit organisation which promotes a corporate culture of accountability and transparency across the Gulf region. The study noted that regional employees believed that their organisations’ leadership was committed to diversity and inclusion. However, women respondents reported concerns pertaining to workplace practices and cultures, which impacted their satisfaction and retention in Gulf workplaces.
“In the contemporary era where businesses are accountable to an even wider range of stakeholders than before, and where the same businesses have wide-ranging, multi-sectoral, and even multinational impacts, increased diversity should no longer be a simple call to action; it should be a way of life within businesses. When a business and its ecosystem reflect its diverse pool of consumers and participants, it remains accountable to the society it serves; thus boosting its standing in the economy,” said Omari.
The study aims to help Gulf businesses find effective ways to increase diversity in their workforce, and create an environment that supports women’s career ambitions. Data collected from the study show that 79 percent of the respondents said that their organisational leadership is actively trying to empower and promote women, while 77 percent believe women and men are afforded the same benefits and facilities.
However, only 45 percent of women state that their workplaces help them achieve a work-life balance. Also, only 53 percent of respondents reported that women hold 10 percent or fewer senior management roles in their organisations. About 73 percent of all respondents’ direct managers are men.
The study also found that the top three factors respondents believe are hindering workplace progression for women are unconscious biases, having children, and preconceptions of women’s roles and responsibilities. The top three workplace processes hindering women’s career progression were identified as gendered preconceptions and stereotypes, demanding work hours and conditions, and lack of policies supporting women’s advancement.
Women also reported the top three reasons for leaving the workplace as lack of professional advancement opportunities, devaluation of work and effort, and lack of work-life balance.
Most respondents strongly believed that misconceptions and gender-based stereotypes in the workplace negatively impacted women’s career progression and success. Also, 54 percent of respondents believe that men will continue to hold more management positions than women in the next five years.
To encourage diversity, respondents identified the following as the key factors that can support women in the workforce: organisational culture supporting women (60 percent), leadership commitment to women’s workforce engagement (57 percent), and recruitment opportunities for women (46 percent).
A positive tone from the top to promote women in the workforce is a common denominator for the active support and development of women’s careers. About 76 percent of respondents believe a bias-free company culture will help retain and develop women in the workplace, while 62 percent of respondents believe a work-life balance and work flexibility will help retain women in the workforce.
