The Paris agreement, and its requirement that nations work towards keeping climate change below 2°C, has ushered in a new era. This accord clearly acknowledges the threat of global warming and the impact it has on society.
Being invited to speak at a panel for the Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewability initiative in Paris made me think of the importance of women’s participation in sustainability. Women make up 40 per cent of the global labour force and more than half of the world’s university students, but they are still not being fully utilised. This gap, and the policies and prejudices that cause it, are holding back countries from reaching their potential.
To give women the opportunity to reach their potential, I believe there are three things the global community must pursue: increased access to education for women; increased access for women to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) fields; and increased involvement of women in decision-making.
Education has long been an effective tool for empowerment. We know this first-hand in this country, as our female education levels have been followed by an increase in women in the labour force and in political participation. Additionally, education with a focus on Stem subjects has further benefits, with women in Stem-related jobs estimated to earn as much as 33 per cent more than women who are not.
Women’s political and decision-making involvement is the third key component I believe to be critical for improving female empowerment for sustainable economic and social gains. Empowering women as economic, political and social figures can make institutions more representative of a range of voices.
The recent World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report shows that where the gender gap is smaller in a range of areas – including political participation – countries and economies are more prosperous. Having more women in leadership positions is known to increase female workforce participation both by creating role models and improving rates of recruitment.
This is why I believe that through greater female education, female Stem integration and political empowerment, the global push for sustainable economic development and prosperity will receive a boost.
To get an idea of how countries have benefited by using the potential of women, you need only compare the past and present of countries that have integrated women in their economies. The increase in employment of women during the past decade has added more to global growth than has the economic emergence of China, according to The Economist.
The UAE is leading efforts to capitalise on the strength of its women, in continuation of the vision of our late founding father, Sheikh Zayed, who believed that women had a significant role to play in the country. In recognition of the importance of policy support for female integration, the UAE leadership has established the Gender Balance Council to efforts to evolve and enhance women’s roles as key partners in building the future of the nation. This move followed a similar measure in 2014, when the Cabinet agreed that there should be female members on the boards of directors of all governmental authorities, institutions and companies. The culmination of the UAE’s efforts can be seen in the election of the first woman as Speaker of the Federal National Council, the first female leader of a national assembly in the region.
These measures place the UAE firmly on the path to sustainable economic development, with UAE national women already 60 per cent of university graduates and 43 per cent of the citizen workforce. These talented women will play a key role in the transformation of the country into a knowledge economy where innovative, high-tech industries powered by renewable energy and advanced technologies, fuel a competitive and prosperous economy.
With the UAE leadership’s clear focus and desire to develop and use the country’s precious human capital resources for sustainable prosperity, I am confident that the young women who are studying Stem today will become tomorrow’s innovative leaders.
We hope the UAE’s trailblazing efforts will inspire other nations to give their women the same opportunities to succeed, to help not only turn back the tide on global climate change, but also bring greater sustainability and prosperity to all.
Dr Lamya N Fawwaz is the Vice President of Public Affairs and Institutional Advancement at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi
