Sinem Cengiz
In the past, when a diplomat or any high-level official, such as a parliamentarian or a bureaucrat, is to be mentioned, often one pictured a man due to the hegemonic masculinity of decision-making processes of states. However, since the 2000s, women have started to assume pioneering roles in diplomacy with increasing number of women becoming ambassadors overseas, breaking the glass ceiling that they have been facing for a very long time.
This could be considered as a dramatic change in the world of diplomacy, and this change has started to show its visibility in the GCC context as well. In recent years, number of women diplomats assuming ambassadorial ranks steadily increased in the GCC states, which has given priority to boosting the presence and the level of activity of women in foreign policy. This new trend started to leave a mark on the execution of Gulf foreign policy.
As of 2023, Qatar also has four women ambassadors in top diplomatic missions. Two of them serve in Indonesia and Sweden, while the other two serve as permanent representatives at the United Nations in New York and Geneva. One exemplar is H E Lolwah R M Al Khater, who was previously the spokesperson of the Qatari MFA, and now appointed as the Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Qatari MFA.
The generational change in the leaderships in the GCC states has played an important role in this positive transformation, giving wider room for women representation in diplomatic ranks. The GCC leaderships, along with their ambitious and transformative vision plans, has made a tremendous stride to empower women in their countries. This trend is a reflection of two interrelated phenomena.
The GCC states have increased the number of their diplomatic missions in order to have a more active and influential foreign policy. Giving importance to youth employment and women empowerment has become one of the key focuses of the GCC states and this has been reflected in several areas, including diplomacy. Thus, boost in women representation in diplomacy has not come as a surprise.
Secondly, the trend of increasing the number of women working in MFAs is parallel with the increase in the labour force participation rate of women in the GCC states in general. The presence of Gulf women in the labour market is increasing and there is a growing number of women than men in higher education, and women generally outperform men. Finally yet importantly, in light of the leadership’s support and empowerment of women, the gradual change in the cultural mindset is also playing a key role in the women’s presence in the men-dominated fields.
The writer is a Turkish researcher at Qatar University, and columnist at Arab News as well as a member of Women in Foreign Policy Initiative.
The writer is a Turkish researcher at Qatar University, and columnist at Arab News as well as a member of Women in Foreign Policy Initiative.
