I have lived in Dubai for over five years now and I have to say – the experience has been totally different from what I had anticipated when, back in December 2019, my husband told me his company had decided to relocate him to Dubai and we had just seven weeks to get organised and (most importantly from my perspective) find me a new job. Now – full disclosure – not only had I never been to the UAE at this point, I’d actually never planned on being an expat. I’m a proud Londoner: I was born there and – while I had occasionally toyed with the idea of moving to the countryside and living a life of bucolic bliss with chickens and lamas – I had honestly never expected to live and work anywhere other than London. So, to be told I was moving 8,000km away, to a country I had never even visited, was a bit of a shock (and that’s putting it mildly!)
There’s an assumption when, as a European woman, you consider moving to the Middle East – or rather a set of assumptions: that you might be marginalised or disrespected because of your gender; that you might be prevented from taking part in certain types of activity or applying for certain types of job; that you might have to wear certain clothes or conform to certain modes of behaviour. At first, all these assumptions appeared to be validated; when I realised I need my husband’s consent for my work permit. I later on realised that this has to do with the fact he is my visa sponsor in this country, rather than with the fact he is my husband.
I almost refused to move at all, convinced that I’d never be able to flourish professionally in such a restrictive environment. But that would have been the single biggest mistake I could have made – because the UAE is a fantastic place to work, especially as a woman. There is more scope for professional advancement, more opportunity to make real lasting impact, and crucially – at least in my own sector – there are more women at the top.
As Chief Academic Officer, I work with universities, libraries, research centers, government organisations, hospitals and healthcare groups across the UAE and the wider Arab region. I attend numerous meetings, conferences and networking events. And everywhere I go, there are prominent, successful women leading the development and advancement of research ecosystems. I went to one event, an award ceremony for the UAE’s largest medical and health research-producing entities and, as no one knew who would win, the most senior representatives from each institution were there – and out of the 85 institutions represented, over 70 were women! This was such a testament to the active engagement of women in the USE’s workforce, and not only a reflection of each of these women’s individual achievements, but also a tangible illustration of the significant professional successes which women can achieve here. Indeed, I attended one education conference recently where findings from a new study were presented concerning the worrying decline in school graduation amongst young boys in the region, many of whom cited the dominance of women in senior roles and said they felt there was no point in attending school as only women get good roles. Now, of course this was an isolated study (I think from Bahrain) – but, again, it underscores the broader sociocultural trends taking place here.
With everything that is going on in the higher education sectors back in the UK, in Europe and in the USA – I find myself constantly encouraging female friends, former colleagues, and academic peers to relocate to the UAE and the wider region. Because the scale and scope of potential roles and potential opportunities for recognition and reward outstrip the majority of opportunities available elsewhere. I have met more female leaders here than anywhere else and it is truly inspiring to see what can be achieved when one is building from scratch, when there is no ‘old boys club’ or ‘glass ceiling’ – when the sky really is the limit.
