The Future of Women Leaders in the Middle East
A number of high-profile women are chipping at the “cement ceiling” in the Gulf countries and making it possible for others to do the same. When Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi stepped into a role as head of IT strategy for transport services company Dubai Ports World, she was an anomaly in many ways. She was an engineer working on a complex, technical initiative that required a great deal of interaction with the members of the C-suite; a local from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) working with a large number of expatriates; and a female executive...
read moreThe progression of women in GCC countries: The road to empowerment
Their expanding presence in the labor market is indicative of the changes taking place in the region Although the journey along the road to the empowerment of women in the Gulf region has sometimes been slow, it is now surely under way, through forward steps of positive reforms, as more female voices are being heard. These voices reflect the motivation, determination and ambition of all those women who are striving to become active members in society and in building their country. Today, women in the GCC region are taking on increasingly...
read moreSaudi women meet to discuss empowerment by Fouzia Khan
“Saudi Women of Tomorrow,” Forum held under the patronage and sponsorship of Princess Seeta Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, with the participation of thousands of Saudi women. The forum held at Dar Al-Hekma started with a meeting “Change Up Your Life,” which shared the vision and experience of nine Saudi experts and successful women who discussed the empowerment of women and their role in the Kingdom’s development. They encouraged women to participate in the national development plan and raised awareness of women in the Kingdom who...
read moreSaudi Women embrace feminism on their own terms by Rob Wagner
“Perhaps one of the most significant developments emerging from the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions is the growing Arab women’s rights movement that has spread to the anti-government demonstrations in Bahrain and Yemen. Absent, however, from the chorus of women’s voices demanding equity in the workplace, freedom to travel and a role in government are Saudis, who have done little to join their Arab sisters to create a feminist movement. In fact, no such organized movement exists in Saudi Arabia. “I don’t see signs of a feminist...
read moreGCC Women’s Games by Stephanie Dahle
“It could be easy to dismiss an event like this as mere competition, but these games are more important than that. Of course, it was a great training run for athletes who aim to compete in the 2012 Olympics in London. But it also came as a stark reminder that amid protests and civil unrest in the region, these women were honoring their countries, their beliefs and themselves with their hard work and perseverance within their sport.” Source:...
read moreSaudi Arabia: Saudi Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign Gains International Awareness
It is with pleasure to inform American Bedu readers that the Saudi Arabia Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign was chosen as the best media awareness campaign during the EMEA region SABRE awards dinner in Prague. The campaign, A Woman’s Stand, focused on the importance of early detection of breast cancer. The campaign was conducted by Adalid Public Relations on behalf of HRH Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud. HRH Princess Reema is one of the driving forces behind the Zahra Breast Cancer Association which is the premier source on...
read moreShattering stereotypes?
What are the stereotypes we have of each-other? What do you think of western women when you get to know them? Do they meet your expectations and previously held generalizations or are you often surprised? And for the westerner meeting with women from the GCC, what have been your expectations and generalizations? Are there some generalizations that were positive on both sides? I have heard story after story of stereotypes being shattered when people from the West and from the GCC meet and interact. New generalizations...
read moreHow do you make your family’s home more sustainable?
How do we teach our children to care for the earth and model it at home? Have you spoken to your child’s school about what they are teaching about the environment, sustainability, and our responsibility to the Earth and to our community? For example, my daughter, is part of her school’s green team where they help remind kids in the lunch room to recycle, create posters on campus around green themes, and even provide “no-idling zone” pencils to remind parents to turn off their cars during pick up and drop off. They will...
read moreWhat does leadership in community mean?
As we move between cultures, how does our definition of leadership change? What are the commonalities? In essence, how does our culture affect how we define and show leadership? When we think of women in leadership we often think of the executive, the woman leading a company or organization, the woman entrepreneur, the head teacher, or the PTA Mom who organizes school donations, but what if we expand this list? What are the common traits to true leadership? Once we have identified these traits—how to we use them to ...
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