JEDDAH – A survey by the Pearl Initiative revealed that women still face discrimination in international and regional organizations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Pearl Initiative is an organization established in cooperation with the United Nations to promote business practices in the GCC. The initiative has been supporting the GCC labor sector since 2010 and promoting good practices in GCC businesses by conducting studies and publishing reports on the GCC labor sector. The initiative's 2014 plan includes women in the workforce, government companies, family-based businesses and prevention of vice. In accordance with the initiative's plan, the forum for GCC women in managerial positions was held in cooperation with Effat University. The forum aims to promote women working in high managerial positions in the GCC, propose strategies for working women and find qualified women for such positions. The speakers of the forum included Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, the president of Effat University, Maryam Fosesilo, the head of risk insurance at the Dubai World Central, Ayman Tamer, chairman and managing partner of Tamer group, and Imelda Dunlop, the executive director of Pearl Initiative. The speakers discussed the current status of women in managerial positions in GCC, the diversity of executive boards in the GCC and their relation to governments and proposed realistic strategies compatible with the current market. “Gender equality is very important in the workforce to instill stability and sustainability. In order to reach this goal, we need to promote skills development among women to give them the confidence to aim high,” said Tamer. The speakers concluded that there are many opportunities for women to develop in the corporate world but flexible and realistic strategies must be set to enable women to balance their professional and personal lives. Moreover, there is a need for an organizational and cultural support system for women. Pearl Initiative's survey also showed that there are many efforts to accommodate the growing number of working women. However, companies are in need of support by the higher authorities in order to unify development efforts in all sectors. Imelda Dunlop said that there are many obstacles facing women's advancement in the workforce. “We need to break these obstacles and promote an environment which treats both genders equally in logistics services. We also need to raise awareness and encourage working women by publishing success stories and rewarding the organizations which support working women. That is what Pearl Initiative researchers are currently aimed at,” said Dunlop.
