Meow

I have some serious questions for you. This is research for a radio show early next week (Dubai Eye Monday 6th August 10am - 12pm) and I'm interested to get some of your views and opinions to include. The topic is 'women in the workplace'.

1. Are there really equal opportunities? Globally + UAE specifically
2. Is sexism still prevalent in the workplace?
3. Do men and women approach business differently?
4. What mistakes do women make in the workplace that can be detrimental?

Your thoughts would be appreciated and I want to include views from both men and women. Comment specific to the UAE is particularly useful.

Thanks (and please try and be constructive)

NorthernLad

Comments below.
[
QUOTE=Meow;10206664]I have some serious questions for you. This is research for a radio show early next week (Dubai Eye Monday 6th August 10am - 12pm) and I'm interested to get some of your views and opinions to include. The topic is 'women in the workplace'.

1. Are there really equal opportunities? Globally + UAE specifically

In the company I work for, yes. Sales and Professional Services both have senior female managers.

2. Is sexism still prevalent in the workplace?

Yes. Massively - some of the comments from blokes in our office (openly) are jaw-dropping.

3. Do men and women approach business differently?

Women in my company seem to have to prove themselves more - maybe why they are spinsters.

4. What mistakes do women make in the workplace that can be detrimental?

Crying. Yes, I've seen female project managers in tears.

Your thoughts would be appreciated and I want to include views from both men and women. Comment specific to the UAE is particularly useful.

Thanks (and please try and be constructive) [/QUOTE]

weasel decentral

1. In construction, and O&G certainly not equal opportunities. In design maybe closer to being equal but still a long way off. Much worse in the ME than Europe for discrimination.

2. Sexism but not the harassment (in the ME)

3. Yes but without going too deeply into it women are poor compromisers (IMO before I get shot down all over the place). I find dealing with a woman at my level there is a sense that any concession is viewed as losing.

4. See 3 and also should not take business/work personally.

Millhouse

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Meow

Weasel, I won't shoot you down when I am asking for your experiences. Could you explain the 'poor compromisers' statement in some more detail for me? Thanks


I think it's a fascinating subject. but there is no single correct opinion (unless you're a sexist pig) and it may encourage some to answer if I say that I think that some women do themselves a disservice in the work place by dressing or behaving inappropriately. It's not the place for flirty clothes (kittycat1's workplace excepted!) or giggly, gossipy cliques.

I also think that women like management by consensus more than men. Generally speaking, that is. We aren't all the same.

Bahtatboy

1. Are there really equal opportunities? Globally + UAE specifically
I work for a global engineering / manufacturing company. Globally I believe that the opportunities are there, but there are almost no women in engineering roles, and relatively few in senior management roles.
UAE-wise, we have no women in engineering roles, only one in a management role, and nearly all our admin staff are female. The company supports equal opportunities, but the business environment works against it.

2. Is sexism still prevalent in the workplace?
Globally generally no. In the UAE in our company, no (largely). In the region among our customers, yes.

3. Do men and women approach business differently?
I've never worked in an environment where the number of women comes even close to the number of men in equivalent roles, so eking out the differences is difficult. That said, I've experienced men approaching business in so many different ways that they must cover the entire gamut of possibilities. I believe that the approach taken by men of each nationality / ethnicity is quite distinct, markedly more different that the difference between the sexes.

4. What mistakes do women make in the workplace that can be detrimental?
Assuming that all men think and act the same. Which is quite sexist, really...

Meow

If anyone want to comment privately, please send me a PM or an email. I appreciate that not everyone likes to comment on some issues on a public forum.


Bahtatboy - fair comment about some women assuming that all men think and act the same. These things do cut both ways.

weasel decentral

I am basing this on people who are in their positions due to merit, rather than any managers appointed due to nepotism etc.

I find in any sort of negotiations where my opposite number is female, that there is not much give and take, this position is made worse if she works for the client.
I find the direct opposite to consensus as you say, its usually conflict management. Yes I am generalising here, but there is a certain immaturity to be found in general dealings, or not seeing the overall picture.

britexpat76

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The Dean

So that would be Siobhan's show? [Hint: please try to avoid the going-round-in-circles that a lot of discussions descend into on her show - not usually her fault though]

I cannot possibly mention my previous Dubai employer (so there's no point holding me to it) where attitudes to women were a disgrace, but I'm currently working for a bank that puts women first second and third in terms of opportunities - we took on about twenty graduates last year - only two were male, and one of those has already left.

A number of our branch managers are women in their late-twenties or early-thirties - and are uniformly excellent.

More broadly, I usually find sexism on the part of male workers towards female colleagues is born out of fear - they know the women, like for like, are better at the job than they are, and desperately try to find something to cling to in order to protect their own positions.

Different approaches? Women are perfectionists, mostly, seeking to achieve 100 percent success in reaching a target. That's not a criticism as such, but sometimes perfection is impossible, and men tend to realise that more quickly.

More later.......... perhaps (but see Olympics thread - I'll be 'busy' today - go Jess).

Meow

No, Siobhan is on at 12pm, I am always on Dubai Today and if you had ever listened to me, you'd know I get to the point.


Interestingly, I have had quite contracting views from people, which leads me to conclude that there is no one answer (think we knew that) but that it varies by industry as much as anything else.

Thanks everyone.

Millhouse

can you conclude with something like.

'All women are bitches, and the men are ****ing useless'

Meow

See posts passim...

Paracletus

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britexpat76

Saw this today if it helps

http://dohanews.co/post/28185330309/...ivide-in-qatar