by
Siddharth Chatterjee, UN
Resident Coordinator in China
&
Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri,
United Arab Emirates Ambassador to China
UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology Sarah Al Amiri
speaks during an event to mark Hope Probe's entering the orbit of Mars, in
Dubai. Photo-Arabian Business, July 2020
Women hold up
half the sky.
Some years ago,
Sarah Al Amiri, a young Emirati engineer, had a fixed gaze beyond the sky and
towards our galaxy. “Space was a sector that we never dared to dream growing up,”
she noted.
Fast forward
and Sarah Al Amiri is now the United Arab Emirates first Minister of State for
Advanced Technology, successfully leading an ambitious project which launched a
spacecraft into orbit around Mars, the first-ever Arab interplanetary mission.
This has only been achieved by four other nations, including China.
Al Amiri
contends that, “the mission is called Amal, which means ‘hope’ in
Arabic, because we are contributing to global understanding of a planet. We are
going above and beyond the turmoil that is now defining our region and becoming
positive contributors to science”.
Throughout the
COVID-19 pandemic, women in the UAE, China and elsewhere have also led ground-breaking
efforts against the virus in the fields of public health, vaccines and
treatments. The Hope Mission and COVID-19 pandemic highlight the potential
gains to be achieved by ensuring full and equal access for women and girls in
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As UN
Secretary-General António Guterres emphatically stated, “women
and girls belong in science and there is a dividend
to be gained for countries that acknowledge this truth.”
Greater Participation
Needed in STEM Fields
According
to UNESCO, women account for only 28 percent of engineering
graduates and 40 percent in computer science and informatics. This gender
disparity is alarming, especially as STEM careers are often referred to as the
jobs of the future, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and
sustainable development.
Women account
for only one-third scientific researchers globally, holding fewer senior
positions than men at top universities. Furthermore, with the growth of
artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning, there are risks for
reinforcing inequalities, as the needs of women are more likely to be
overlooked in the design of products and projects.
Increasing
women’s participation in STEM accelerates sustainable development in low and
middle-income countries, offering an opportunity to close gender pay gaps and
boosting women’s earnings by USD 299 billion over the next decade. Studies
indicate that girls perform as well as boys in science and mathematics, and in
many parts countries outperforming them. Aptitude is not the issue.
Gender equality
in STEM acts as a powerful accelerator for the UN 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. Norms and
stereotypes that limit girls’ expectations need to be eliminated, while educators
must motivate girls to become changemakers, entrepreneurs and innovators.
Thankfully,
there are already encouraging signs of change, in both the UAE and China.
Growing Equality
and Empowerment in China
In China, the
14th Five-Year Plan provides new opportunities to prioritize gender equality. Central
to the development agenda is a strengthening of science, technology and R&D
sectors to address a transformation to a digital and innovative economy. In China, women
launch more than half of all new internet companies and
make up more than half of inventors filing patent applications. The
recently enacted Civil Code establishes new mechanisms for addressing sexual
harassment and abuse in workplaces.
Success stories
of women specializing in STEM fields should be heralded in order to empower
others to follow. As examples, Tu Youyou
was China’s first Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 2015, with her
discovery of a malaria therapy; whilst Hu Qiheng was a leader promoting
Internet access in China, being inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013
as a global connector.
Pictured: Tu Youyou -
Vox
In the private
sector there are stellar mentors and role-models such as billionaire Zhou
Qunfei, who rose from a migrant worker to being the world’s richest self-made
woman. As the CEO of Lens Technology, she built an empire manufacturing glass
for tech giants such as Tesla, Apple and Samsung.
In Shenzhen,
the private sector is now embracing its civic responsibilities, with companies
such as Alibaba, Tencent and Huawei
launching initiatives to recruit and promote women in STEM fields.
Rapid Progress by the UAE
The space industry is not
the only sector in which Emirati women are exemplary.
According to the World Economic Forum 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, the UAE ranked first globally in four of the report’s indicators: women in parliament; sex ratio at birth; literacy rate; and enrolment in primary education. Meanwhile, in the 2019 UNDP Human Development Report, the UAE ranks 35 of the 189 countries in the world in terms of women's empowerment.
In terms of education, 77% of UAE women will continue to receive higher education after high school graduation, and 70% are graduates of higher education in the UAE. Female students now account for 46% of STEM subjects in UAE higher education. Two thirds of the public sector positions are held by women, with 30 per cent of which are leadership positions.
On 30 March the UAE National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security was launched by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation. This Plan is not only a step in the right direction but also spearheads the vital role of women in the UAE.
For many years, Sheikha Fatima and the UAE have championed and presided over a group of specialised conferences in the Arab, international and Islamic worlds to empower women and enhance their stature.
As the UAE approaches its 50th
Jubilee since foundation, it is a matter of pride that the country is making
outstanding achievements and launching initiatives to empower women, surging
ahead in promoting gender equality and ensuring that women play a key role in
the nation’s growth. This has earned the
UAE a reputation as being among the most progressive countries in the world.
The co-authors Amb Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri
(Right)and Siddharth Chatterjee(left). Photo-UAE Embassy China, 03 March 2021
Global Gender
Equality Initiatives
In March 2021, International
Women’s Day was celebrated with the UN China Country Team coming together
in recognizing
tremendous contributions and leadership demonstrated by women and girls around
the world. Joint campaigns such as #HERstory
saw the UNDP and UN Women shared inspiring stories on social media from women
leaders in STEM around the world. A
workshop was launched to combat stereotypes and encourage women and girls
across China to learn and excel in science and technology.
As part of the
Generation Equality global initiative led by UN Women, governments, civil
society, private sectors and change-makers from around the world are coming
together to fuel a powerful and lasting coalition for gender equality.
It is 25 years since the UN Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action committed nations to the advancement of the rights of women. Now is the time to recommit to ensuring gender equality, especially for STEM in order to harness women’s full potential. Then women of China, the UAE and the world can hold up half of the sky, in principle and reality.
