Creating a knowledge-based economy in the United Arab Emirates: realising the unfulfilled potential of women in the science, technology and engineering fields

Abstract

As the United Arab Emirates (UAE) moves towards a knowledge-based economy, maximising the participation of the national workforce, especially women, in the transformation process is crucial. Using survey methods and semi-structured interviews, this paper examines the factors that influence women's decisions regarding their degree programme and their attitudes towards science, technology and engineering (STE). The findings point to the importance of adapting mainstream policies to the local context and the need to better understand the effect of culture and society on the individual and the economy. There is a need to increase interest in STE by raising awareness of what the fields entail, potential careers and their suitability with existing cultural beliefs. Also suggested is the need to overcome negative stereotypes of engineering, implement initiatives for further family involvement at the higher education level, as well as the need to ensure a greater availability of STE university programmes across the UAE.

Keywords:

• knowledge-based economy
• innovation
• STE
• UAE

Notes

The fields of study included in this category are generally talked about in the literature as science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Almost 70% of the Emirati population is below 24 years old (Government of Abu Dhabi 2008).

More details on the questionnaire, as well as other key findings of the research, can be found in Ghazal Aswad et al. (2011) and Vidican et al. (2011).

In order to gain a better understanding of wealth status, students were asked to identify their family as poor, middle class or rich.

The data collected from the questionnaires were analysed using SPSS software.

Data collected from the interviews were analysed using NVivo software.

The exact statements from the students and interviewees (despite potential grammatical errors) were kept to preserve the integrity of the responses.

Such lack of knowledge about STE has been found in other nations (McIlwee and Robinson 1992, Gale 1994, Francis 2002, Bagilhole et al. 2005, Alpay et al. 2008).

Al Qassimi and Farid (1996) show that the family size in the UAE is large, with an average of 7.28 persons. Other studies of ‘non-Western’ cultures also substantiate the importance of the extended family in students’ choices and school achievement (Chao 2001, Christina 2008).

The question used in the questionnaire was open-ended, framed as: ‘What is the first word that comes to your mind when you hear “engineer”?’ Responses were coded according to the most common themes apparent in the sample.

MHESR (2007) highlights ‘the need to…increase the number of (STE) programs, and assure the rigor of the curriculum to meet international standards’. Fox and Hayward's report (2008) also states that there is a noted lack of science and engineering degrees in Dubai.