An exploratory study of the under-representation of Emirate women in the United Arab Emirates' information technology sector

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal

Publication Date

9-20-2011

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the principal reasons why Emirate women are under-represented in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) information technology (IT) sector; and the barriers and challenges that national women have encountered while working in this sector of the national economy. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on data from 20 structured in-depth interviews conducted with Emirate women who had worked for a minimum of five years in IT. Findings – Although national women have made remarkable inroads into almost all professions and occupations in recent years, they are still noticeably under-represented in IT, particularly in the private sector. In addition, very few are in senior-level positions and there are, at the time of writing, no Emirate women technology-entrepreneurs. The results show that cultural and familial factors still inhibit many young Emirate women from choosing careers in this profession, and negative gendered attitudinal assumptions about women are still prevalent within the local IT sector. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was small, so we were unable to test specific research hypotheses, or compare our results with quantitative cohort surveys conducted in other countries. Nevertheless, the findings warrant additional research, as increasing numbers of Emirate women graduate from local universities with IT/MIS degrees, and further research on this topic is described. Practical implications – Five practical strategies are identified to encourage more young Emirate women to embrace IT careers in the future. Originality/value – This is the first research on this issue conducted in the UAE/GCC region. © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

ISSN

2040-7149

Publisher

Emerald

Volume

30

Issue

7

First Page

544

Last Page

562

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Employment, Information technology, National cultures, United Arab Emirates, Women

Scopus ID

84860353991

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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