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Is the Gulf good to women?

24 June 2008

As our research shows, the Middle East is strewn with examples of high-powered women who’ve climbed the career ladder.

There’s Nahed Taher, co-founder of Gulf One in Saudi; Maha al-Ghunaim, founder of Gulf Investment House; Soha Nashaat, head of Barclays private bank; May Nasrallah, an MD at Morgan Stanley; and Elham Hassan, country senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Bahrain.

According to some headhunters, 45% of GCC financial services employees are female and the predominance of senior women in Gulf banking makes it easier for all women to get to the top (AME Info).

And quick to spot a business opportunity, firms like Forsa and Dubai Islamic Bank are emerging specifically to target the growing ranks of wealthy women in the GCC. Female investors now manage AED140bn ($38bn), according to UAE government minister Sheikha Lubna al Qasimi.

Is life easy for female bankers in the Gulf? Or are the women mentioned above simply exceptions to the norm? Your thoughts please…

Comments (5)

There are no jobs for non-saudi women here except as a doctor, nurse or school teacher.

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Comments (5)

  • Gulf changing for the best? The Gulf has sold out everything- religion, culture, and it people

    Kareem 30 Jun 2008

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  • Saudi Arabia is still stern in this matter. I am a graduate in business administration with majors in Finance and just gave CFA level one exam. There are no jobs for non-saudi women here except as a doctor, nurse or school teacher. Adding to the problem is that since women cannot drive, companies donot prefer to hire even the national saudi women.
    It is time that things changed, clearly.

    Zahra Ammar 27 Jun 2008

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  • I'm glad that the gulf is changing to the best, women has always got great and intelligent brains, its a waste not to participate in the community and make a difference!

    Mariam 25 Jun 2008

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  • Interesting that the women who have made in it local institutions were self-made. I think that speaks volumes about how difficult it is for them in this market.

    Fez 24 Jun 2008

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  • Life is challenging and it is hard, even for women working in London. I work half the time in London and the Gulf, it's hard, but if one is determined and persistent and works to their highest calibre and lets their work speak for themselves, there is no reason why excellence shall be demoted.

    Rabi'ah 24 Jun 2008

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