Female employees in the Middle East work the same hours as their male counterparts, but feel they are paid less and have fewer opportunities for promotion, according to the results of a survey released recently. The Women in the Middle East Workplace survey, carried out by the Bayt.com jobs website and research specialists YouGovSiraj, found that 90 percent of women surveyed said they work the same, or more hours, as their male colleagues. While 51 percent of the women felt that appreciation in the workplace was based on merit, 42 percent said they felt they were paid less than men. This figure rose to 54 percent for Western women and 53 percent among PGCC women. In terms of promotion, 43 percent of women felt their chances of moving up the corporate ladder were less than those of their male counterparts. “These poll results show that women throughout the region are still subject to a certain degree of discrimination in the workplace, particularly when it comes to compensation and opportunities for promotion,” said Rabea Ataya, chief executive officer at Bayt.com. The survey also found that women were unhappy with the level of maternity leave offered in the region. In terms of motivators, the biggest reasons women would change jobs is for a higher salary (77 percent), better career advancement opportunities (55 percent) and gaining senior positions (30 percent). The survey was conducted online between April 26 and May 23 this year, with a total of 2086 respondents in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia.
