Women should be given seats in the Arab state's governing council as a step toward obtaining full political rights, a leading feminist told the Gulf News on Monday.
Nadia Buhannad, associate professor at the UAE University's department of psychology, said talk about women being equal partners in the progress of their nation and their contribution to the professional sector counted for nothing if they were not directly involved in the decision-making process.
Buhannad told the daily it was about time women were represented at Federal National Council (FNC) sessions to voice their opinions on issues concerning national development. Some of these issues may be of exclusive interest to women, such as the recent discussion on extended maternity leave in the public sector, she said.
"It is true that women have been encouraged to attend FNC meetings. But when they do, they usually occupy an isolated corner and are not allowed to speak up, raise questions or make comments. Since they are not FNC members, they cannot have a word in the discussions," she said.
She added that equality in civil rights required women to have the same political privileges as men. She criticized male chauvinists who hindered women from playing a political role.
She said men were “no longer the sole breadwinners because women have entered the workforce as full partners” and had been equally contributing to the economic well-being of their families. Therefore, men's traditional views of women must change, she added.
There is no parliamentary life in the UAE, and the seven-emirate-union is run by the FNC, which was established only last year. The council includes 40 members with each of the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai sending eight members, six members for Sharja and Ra's al Khaymah, and four members each for Umm al Qaywayn, Ajman and Al Fujayrah emirates – Albawaba.com
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