The new wage equality law approved by the UAE Cabinet should go a long way to further improving the status of women in the workplace, but there is still work to be done, industry watchers say.
The UAE Cabinet endorsed the law on Tuesday, guaranteeing earnings equality between men and women in a move that has been widely welcomed.
But some say other problems, many of them related to family structure and responsibilities, must be addressed before women can achieve true equality.
Toby Simpson, former managing director at a large recruitment company, said one problem for working women centred around childcare commitments, which fall disproportionately to them.
“Although this is changing it could go further, and I am sure it will do,” Mr Simpson said. “If we really want to create equality we need to encourage men to take as significant a role in child care as women.
“I believe we should treat men and women exactly the same when it comes to allowances, flexi-time arrangements and other mechanisms to encourage this. “I think we have a wider societal debate about how to address these issues.”
Lucy Chow, director of the Women’s Angel Investor Network in the UAE, said one way to achieve that could be to offer fathers more rights under law to take paternity leave.
The Minister of Community Development, Hessa Buhumaid, said last month that legislation was being drafted to provide that.
“That would be fabulous, and many men would be happy to do that or have shared leave, and there are countries that do that,” Mrs Chow said. “It’s the equitable way to go.”
She said another way to further narrow the gap between what women are earning and what they deserve is to introduce a law banning employers in job interviews from asking what the prospective recruit was paid in their last job.
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Mrs Chow, who was a victim of unequal pay while working in banking in Hong Kong, said states and cities across the US had already introduced similar laws.
“That’s been a huge disadvantage for women,” she said. “I was a victim of having my salary pushed down, so I would argue that it was not a good indicator of my worth.”
Dr Hanadi Saleh, a social adviser in Abu Dhabi, said the new law should help to successfully address wage inequality.
“This is fair and is followed in other countries. Even in Jordan men and women of the same post and grade receive an equal salary,” Dr Saleh said.
She praised the decision and said pay disparity was considered normal in this society because traditionally, Emirati men were considered the providers of their families.
“However, women provide for their families too and in some cases they are the sole providers if they are single, widowed or divorced,” Dr Saleh said.
She said women often complained to her about inequality, “and men received more appraisals and promotions”.
“This made them feel demotivated and unequal,” Dr Saleh said. “They said this upset them because they graduated from the same universities and are performing the same job.”
* additional reporting by Haneen Dajani
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Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
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How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
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Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
All or Nothing
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
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Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
