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Since the assumption of power by the current Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the role of women in Qatar has been supported and encouraged in all aspects of public and private life.
The constitution gives all Qatari citizens equal rights to education and employment and also the right to drive. Women have traditionally had a smaller share in inherited property as compared to their male relatives, but this is also undergoing change with the reform of inheritance laws.
Other Milestones:
On March 8, 1999 Qatar became the first Gulf nation to allow women to vote in municipal elections.
Haifa Al Baker became the first woman lawyer in Qatar on 16 February 2000.
H.E. Mrs. Sheikha Al Mahmoud was named Qatari education minister in May 2003, the first woman in the Gulf to be given a seat in government.
Mrs. Mariam Abdullah Al Jaber on February 24, 2003 became the first District Attorney in the Gulf region.
In 2006 Amna Al Aubaidli became the first Qatari woman to pilot commercial Jet Flights. |
As the country continues to grow and develop, women and women’s issues are a key factor in this forward movement. At most educational institutions in the country, and at all age levels, there are more female students enrolled in schools than males, making Qatar one of the most progressive Gulf states for the education of women.
Women play a large role in public life and serve in a variety of high positions in both the government and private sector. There are female Qatari pilots, female Qatari presidents and CEOs of organizations, confirming that women are making contributions in a variety of spectra. Women are not only guaranteed the right to vote in municipal elections, they are also increasingly coming forward as candidates. In April 2003, the country saw its first female elected to public office.
In 1998 Qatari Ladies and Qatar National Bank formed Qatar Ladies Investment Company, the first of its kind in the region. A Businesswomen Forum was set up in November 2000, to serve as a committee for the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with an aim to provide a receptive environment for women in business and help them make responsible business decisions.
Did you Know?
On May 7, 1998, Qatar became the first Gulf nation to allow women to compete in an athletic tournament and Nada Zaidan became the first Qatari lady to take part in regional rallying in 2004. |
Out of 35,845 of the Qatari work force there were around 15,087 Qatari women employees in the government sector in 2003. And 70% of these women were degree holders. Working women also represent more than 50% of the total work force at the Ministry of Education. There are more than 21% Qatari nurses working at The National Health Authority. On May 7, 1998, Qatar became the first Gulf nation to allow women to compete in an athletic tournament and Nada Zaidan became the first Qatari woman to take part in a regional rally in 2004.
H.H. Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned
Doha Debates
The Doha Debates is a Qatar Foundation sponsored initiative under the auspices of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Misned. The program entered its fifth season in September 2008, and is filmed monthly in Doha, at Qatar Foundation headquarters. Chaired by T.V. personality Tim Sebastian, it features Oxford style debate on a variety of topics related to the Middle East region including Palestine, Iraq, and women’s issues. At the end of each program the audience is allowed to vote for which side of the issue they support and the results are announced. |
H.H. Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned is a great supporter of women’s issues and encourages their active participation in society. She serves in a public role alongside the Emir of Qatar, H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and accompanies him on many official visits and functions. H.H. Sheikha Mozah leads by example and actively engages herself in educational and social up lifting programmes as the chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, motivating others to follow. She travels internationally speaking on behalf of Qatari women and the country’s interests in a variety of roles including UNESCO and other education focused initiatives. Sheikha Mozah is also the mother of seven children of a range of ages.
Other prominent female Qatari leaders include:
Prof. Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad, Ph.D
President of Qatar University since 2003, Professor Al Misnad received her Doctor of Philosophy in Education in 1984, and is a champion of quality education at all levels in Qatar. She also has a Ph.D. from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, USA. On assuming the title of president, she began reform efforts at the national university to ensure that its faculty, staff, and students receive the best in services and education. She serves in an advisory capacity on a number of boards including that of Qatar Foundation.
Sheikha Hanadi bint Nasser bin Khaled Al Thani
Sheikha Hanadi is well known as a knowledgeable and successful business woman with an interest in investment and finance related ventures. She is the founder of investment firm, Amwal, senior manager of Qatari Ladies Investment company, and is also active in many of the Nasser bin Khaled holdings, including the Al Waab City project of which she is CEO. Named CEO Woman of the Year in 2006 by Middle East CEO Awards Institute Sheikha Hanadi bint Nasser bin Khaled Al Thani, is a role model of entrepreneurship for Qatari women as she balances her professional and family life.
Her Excellency Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani
Sheikha Mayassa is a graduate of Duke University in Durham, NC, USA and since her return to Qatar from her studies has worked in a variety of government related sectors to benefit the arts and service amongst young people. She is the chair of Reach Out to Asia an NGO which focuses on educational development efforts in the Asia region as well as vice chair of Qatar Museum Authority. Additionally she is the patron of various other projects in Qatar including the Waqif Art Centre located in Souq Waqif and the Islamic Museum of Art which is scheduled to open in December 2008.
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