Published date: Jan 31 2022

Journal Title: Gulf Education and Social Policy Review

Issue title: Gulf Education and Social Policy Review (GESPR): Volume 2, Issue 2

Pages: 144-170

DOI: 10.18502/gespr.v2i1.10046

Khabirah Yahyakhabirah.yahya.wilson@gmail.comAmerican International College, Springfield, MA 01109, USA

While the Emirati government continues to make great strides in encouraging female Emirati citizens to become public school teachers and educational leaders, the change process has been slow. According to the most recent data, there is a severe shortage of female Emirati postgraduates, especially in the education field, limiting qualified female Emirati leadership. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government calls for more female leaders in all fields, including education. Despite the UAE’s attempts to encourage women to obtain a secular graduate-level education and become educational leaders, the response has been minimal. Lack of female educational leadership both inside and outside of school walls may cause more stress on the country’s education system because students may not receive adequate knowledge regarding Emirati culture and values in school. Participants felt that foreign teachers and educational leaders are unable to model or provide sufficient cultural awareness education to the students. This qualitative study was comprised of interviews with 13 female Emirati teachers who desire to obtain a postgraduate degree in education but have yet to complete the task. The study examined the female Emirati teachers’ perceptions of the factors that inhibit them from obtaining a postgraduate degree in education in Abu Dhabi. The findings show that understandings of culture and religious obligations  play a major role in the Emirati women’s decision to go to graduate school and ultimately become leaders in the country. This finding is of major importance to Emirati social and education policy contexts for continued encouragement of Emirati women to get postgraduate degrees and become leaders in the UAE.

Keywords: Female teachers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Women in education, Emirati women and advanced degree attainment, Perceptions of barriers to degree attainment, Cultural, religious, and family connections to degree attainment

[1] Abdulla, F., & Ridge, N. (2009). Where are all the men? Gender, participation, and higher education in the United Arab Emirates. Proceedings of the Arab Regional Conference on Higher Education, Cairo.

[2] Abu Dubai Education Council. (2015). ADEC launches the Edaad program. Retrieved from https://www.adec.ac.ae/en/mediacenter/news/pages/adec-launches-edaad-program-2015-.asp

[3] Abu Dubai Education Council. (2016). School’s master plan. Retrieved from https://www.adec.ac.ae/en/Education/KeyInitiatives/Pages/SchoolMasterPlan.asp

[4] Abdul-Wahid, A. (2015). Free-mixing between the sexes in Islam: A detailed discussion. Retrieved from https://www.abukhadeejah.com/free-mixing-between-the-sexes-in-islam-a-detailed-discussion

[5] Ahmed, A. (2012). Abu Dhabi teachers must pass tests to teach. Retrieved from https://www.thenational.ae/uae/education/abu-dhabi-teachers-must-pass-tests-to-teach-1.469158

[6] Allagui, I., & Al-Najjar, A. (2018). From women empowerment to nation branding: A case study from the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Communication (Online), 12(2018), 68–85.

[7] Asbag, K. A., Nasra, M. A., & Abu-Baker, K. (2014). Gender perceptions of male and female teachers in the Arab education system in Israel. Journal of Middle East Women s Studies, 10(3), 109–124. https://doi.org/10.1353/jmw.2014.0030

[8] Ashour, S., & Fatima, S. K. (2016). Factors favoring impeding building a stronger higher education system in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 38(5), 576–591.

[9] Auletto, A., Kim, T., & Marias, R. (2017). Educational attainment and egalitarian attitudes toward women in the MENA region: Insights from the Arab barometer. Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE), 20(1), 45–67.

[10] Baroudi, S., & Arulraj, D. S. (2020). Nurturing female leadership skills through peer mentoring role: A study among undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates. Higher Education Quarterly, 74(4), 458–474.

[11] Chan, C., Fung, Y., & Chien, W. (2013). Bracketing in phenomenology: Only undertaken in the data collection and analysis process. TQR, 18(30), 1–9.

[12] Clark, C., & Caffarella, S. (2011). An update on adult development theory: New ways of thinking about the life course. Jossey-Bass Inc.

[13] Crabtree, S. (2007). Culture, gender, and the influence of social change amongst Emirati families in the United Arab Emirates. Journal of Comparative Family Studies. 38(4), 575–587.

[14] Creswell, J.W., & Miller, D.L. (2000) Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory into Practice, 39, 124-130.

[15] Dickson, M. (2013). Jobs for the Boys: Teaching as a career choice for secondary school boys in Abu Dhabi, UAE. J. Tea. Tea. Edu., 1(2), 89-101.

[16] Dickson, M., & Le Roux, J. (2012. Why do Emirati males become teachers, and how do cultural factors influence this decision? Learning and Teaching in higher education: Gulf Perspectives, 9(2), 1-16.

[17] Dickson, M., Riddlebarger, J., Stringer, P., Tennant, L., & Kennetz, K. (2014). Challenges faced by Emirati novice teachers. Near and Middle Eastern Journal of Research in Education, 4, 1-10.

[18] Duncan, G. (2018, April 10). Draft law brings UAE closer to ensuring equal wages for men and women. The National. https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/draft-law-brings-uae-closer-to-ensuring-equal-wages-for-men-and-women-1.720305

[19] Embassy of the United Arab Emirates. (2018). Women in the UAE. Retrieved from https://www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/women-uae

[20] Federal Authority for Government Resources. (2016). Human resources law in the federal government. Retrieved from https://www.fahr.gov.ae/Portal/Userfiles/Assets/Documents/38e702a7.pdf

[21] Gargani, G., Al Dabbagh, M., & Bowles, H. R. (2012). Rethinking women leadership development programs in the UAE. Retrieved from https://wappp.hks.harvard.edu/files/wappp/files/rethinking.pdf.

[22] Halawah, I. (2006). The effect of motivation, family environment, and student characteristics on academic achievement. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 33(2), 9–95.

[23] Hasan, A. (1993). Sunan Abu Dawud: English translation with explanatory notes and introduction. New Delhi, India: Kitab Bhavan.

[24] Ibn, M. M. Y., Abd, -G. -D. I., & Suyūṭī. (1952). Sunan Ibn Majah. Karachi, Pakistan: Vali Muhammad.

[25] International and Private School Education Forum. (n.d.). UAE women facts. Retrieved from https://ipsef.net/news/uae-women-facts.

[26] Kemp, L. J., & Zhao, F. (2016). Influences of cultural orientations on Emirati women’s careers. Personnel Review, 45(5), 988–1009. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2014-0187.

[27] Khaleej Times. (2014). Quality teaching a challenge for Abu Dhabi's private schools. Retrieved from http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/education/quality-teaching-a-challenge-for-abu-dhabi-s-private-schools.

[28] Khaleej Times. (2017, July 11). Six new schools to open in Abu Dhabi. Khaleej Times. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/education/six-new-schools-to-open-in-abu-dhabi.

[29] Kirk, D. (2006). The transformation of higher education in the United Arab Emirates: Issues, implications and intercultural dimensions. Political Crossroads, 13(1), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.7459/pc/13.1.03.

[30] Majah, S. I. (1952). Book of marriage Hadith. Retrieved from https://muflihun.com/ibnmajah/9/1952.

[31] Mansour, N., & Al-Shamrani, S. (2015). Science education in the Arab Gulf states: Visions, sociocultural contexts and challenges. Hindenburg, Germany: Springer.

[32] Morley, L., & Walsh, V. (1996). Breaking boundaries: Women in higher education. London, UK: Taylor & Francis.

[33] Nazzal, N. (2012, November 17). Ministry focuses on preserving UAE national identity. Gulf News. https://gulfnews.com/uae/government/ministry-focuses-on-preserving-uae-national-identity-1.1106214

[34] Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2017, September 19). Gender balance guide: Actions for UAE organizations. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/gov/gender-balance-guide-actions-for-uae-organizations.htm

[35] Pennington, R. (2015, March 23). ADEC training attracts 55 potential Emirati teachers. The National. https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/education/adec-training-attracts-55-potential-emirati-teachers-1.35886.

[36] Pennington, R. (2017, August 26). Women continue to dominate UAE federal colleges and universities. The National. https://www.thenational.ae/uae/women-continue-to-dominate-uae-federal-colleges-and-universities-1.622982.

[37] Pew Research Center. (2016). How religion may affect educational attainment: Scholarly theories and historical background. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2016/12/13/how-religion-may-affect-educational-attainment-scholarly-theories-and-historical-background.

[38] Sargeant, J. (2012). Qualitative research part II: Participants, analysis, and quality assurance. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 4(1), 1.

[39] Stringer, P., Saqr, S., & Tennant, L. (2014). Challenges and support factors of married Emirati students in teacher education. Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, 2(8), 46–56.

[40] Stryker, S. (2008). From Mead to a structural symbolic interactionism and beyond. Annual Review of Sociology, 34, 15–31.

[41] Swan, M. (2013, January 20). Emirati women need strong role models. The National. https://www.thenational.ae/uae/education/emirati-women-need-strong-role-models-1.647104.

[42] Tabari, R. (2014). Education reform in the UAE: An investigation of teachers’ views of change and factors impeding reforms in Ras Al Khaimah schools. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, 1-30.

[43] United Arab Emirates Gender Balance Council. (2020). UAE gender balance program. Retrieved from http://www.gbc.gov.ae.

[44] United Arab Emirates Government. (2019). The UAE cabinet. Retrieved from https://www.government.ae/en/about-the-uae/the-uae-government/the-uae-cabinet.

[45] United Arab Emirates Government. (2020a). National strategy for empowerment of Emirati women. Retrieved from https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/strategies-initiatives-and-awards/federal-governments-strategies-and-plans/national-strategy-for-empowerment-of-emirati-women.

[46] United Arab Emirates Government. (2020b). Pensions and end of service benefits. Retrieved from https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/jobs/working-in-uae-government-sector/pensions-and-end-of-service-benefits#:~:text=The%20retirement%20age%20for%20Emiratis,labour%20cards%20are%20renewed%20annually.

[47] United Arab Emirates Government. (2020c). Vision 2021. Retrieved from https://www.vision2021.ae/en.

[48] United Arab Emirates Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. (2015). The UAE higher education factbook for 2013/2014. Retrieved from http://www.mohesr.gov.ae/En/ServicesIndex/Documents/UAE-factbook24Feb-en-CDversion.pdf.

[49] United Arab Emirates Regional Statistics. (2013). Data catalog. Retrieved from http://opendata.nbs.gov.ae/iznkglf/united-arab-emirates-regional-statistics-2013.

[50] Urrieta, L. & Noblit, G. (2018). Cultural constructions of identity: Meta-ethnography and theory. London, UK: Oxford University Press.

[51] Vliagoftis, H. (2016). Work-life balance: Can we achieve it within the work environment? Frontiers in Pediatrics, 4, 40. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2016.00040

[52] Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.