Gender Roles And The United Arab Emirates - 1496 Words

The rhyme, â€Å"Boys are rotten, made out of cotton. Girls are dandy, made out of candy. Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider. Girls go to college to get more knowledge† is passed down generation after generation. But even as children are taught that in a sense, girls are smarter than boys, boys still get the upper hand in regard to the division of labor. For decades, women throughout history have fought for an intense desire of equality in the workplace. Though not fully accomplished, women in the United States have made major advancements. Some women in other countries on the other hand, such as those in the Arab Emirates, are still far behind in achieving an equal work life. In showing the idea that gender roles are socially constructed†¦show more content†¦The same gap persists in male dominant jobs. For example, â€Å"99% of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers are men and only 1% are women† and â€Å"64% of physicians and surgeons are men and only 36% are women.†(U.S. Department of Labor). The core reason for this gender role is the thought that women, instead of men should be the one to provide the most childcare. As shown in the data, most men and women do follow these cultural norms because that is what society has taught children was the most acceptable. Growing up with this mentality causes most women to go into fields like teaching and men into fields such as construction. Likewise, the United Arab Emirates also has gender roles in their jobs much like the United States. According to the Dubai Statistics Center, in the â€Å"Dubai police general headquarters, 265 are female and 10,440 are male† and in the â€Å"Dubai health authority, 5,161 are female and 3,541 are male.†(Government of Dubai). This comparison shows how in both countries there are a similar set or gender roles when it comes to jobs. A common trend is that Women usually go for jobs in the health field or t he service sector. This data also shows how in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) case, this is due the social norm that Arab women are supposed to be mostly concerned with becoming wives and mothers. But recently, a group called the Women’s Empowerment Program has led the way in defeating this gender role. This results in the