Progress: Women in the United Arab Emirates

Despite the fact that her current state is that of oppression and backwardness, the U.A.E. woman has come a long way since the 70's. Before the formation of the country and the discovery of oil, women were confined to their homes, uneducated, forced to wear the burqa (mask in picture above) and expected only to be wives and daughters, taking care of their homes and children.

The formation of the United Arab Emirates brought a government that, to some extent, advocates the emancipation of women. The ruling family has set a trend among other families and tribes to educate their women and make them more productive human beings. Sheikha Fatima, in her veil and traditional dress, is an activist. At the same time she preaches the Islamic values, she brings technology and liberation to numerous women and has done so over the last 30 years.

The problem women still face is their families and their own mindsets. Opposed to change, afraid of independence and programmed to be weak, U.A.E. women still hold on to ideas that stand in their way of acheiving equality and getting their rights in full.

Slowly, though, change is taking place. More and more women are breaking their way into careers other women have not taken and going places where they were not expected to go. If today we have U.A.E. women who are graduates of American universities, tomorrow we will have role models. As the burqa has faded over the decades, so will the abaya and the mentality of shame and honor.