3rd IBEMS Conference, MODUL University, Dubai, 6 May 2019

1. Andrea Hesketh & Jeremy B Williams
3rd IBEMS, MODUL University, Dubai
6 May 2019

2. 1. Introduction

3. This paper looks at how gender equality is
being shaped in each country, and briefly
discusses the history behind current gender
policies and the role of government in their
implementation.
In the process, it will provide an overview
of the policy design principles applied in
regard to sustainable development,
particularly SDG 5

4. 2. Gender equality in perspective

6. The UN has classified Rwanda as one of the 48 least developed
nations (UN, 2018; UNCTAD, 2019).

7. 121st
The World Economic Forum
ranks the UAE economy as the
most competitive in the
Middle East and North Africa
(MENA) region and 27th in the
world.

8. Ranked no. 1 among the GCC countries

9. The history of gender equality in Rwanda
• In pre-colonial Rwanda, men dominated the social, economic and
political walks of life
• Women’s ownership and inheritance of land was prohibited
• Autonomy in their role as mothers, food producers and could hold
powerful religious positions (Longman, 2006; Uwineza & Pearson, 2009).
• During colonial rule, even these limited avenues of power were removed
• Independence from Belgium in 1962
• 1994: Rwandan genocide; one of the defining moments of the late
twentieth century

10. The history of gender equality in Rwanda
• Paradoxically, the genocide was also a major turning point for gender equality
• Over a period of three months, 800,000 Rwandans were killed in the conflict –
most of whom were Tutsis, but also moderate Hutus (Pottier, 2002, p. 9; Des
Forges, 1999)
• Women were subjected to grave sexual assault, torture and rape during the conflict
• After the genocide these women were left to rebuild their shattered lives, and –
with women and girls making up almost 70 percent of the population – they were
thrust into erstwhile assumed ‘male’ responsibilities
• Thus, ironically, out of these tragic and horrific events came a lasting change in
Rwandan gender relations.

11. The history of gender equality in the UAE
• Studies on the history of women working in the country are limited
• The woman’s role was to help her husband by selling the pearls and fish in the
market. Women did not go to school but went to the Mutawa
• Once oil was discovered and the UAE became established as a country in 1971,
Sheikha Fatima – the wife of the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed –
established the Abu Dhabi Women’s Development Association. This was
considered the first women’s organization aimed at educating women (Hodgson,
2014)
• It has since contributed to more Emirati women completing a post-secondary
education then Emirati men, and the average woman in the UAE workplace being
better educated than the average man, with 43% of working women holding a
bachelor degree compared to 23% of men (Cookman, 2018)

12. His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
• ‘Young women have the right to
work in all spheres; there are no
obstacles before them. We know
that educational systems in
MENA need to accommodate
rapid growth in student
population and we expect young
women to proceed with
everything undertaken by their
brothers, the youth of the UAE,
and that there will be fruitful
cooperation between the young
women and their brothers in the
different spheres.’
(Al-Doaifi & Al-Siksek, 1987, cited in Hodgson, 2014)

13. 3. Gender equality policies
in Rwanda

14. Integration of gender in national policy
• Studies have shown that prolonged conflict disrupts pre-determined
gender relations and may offer ‘significant opportunities for
transformation in post-conflict periods’ (Bauer & Britton, 2006, p. 11,
cited in Debusscher & Ansoms, 2013)
• A national gender policy was adopted in 2004 and in the 2008
elections Rwanda became the first country in the world to have a
female majority in a national legislative chamber, with 56.3% in the
lower house (Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2011)
• The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion was also created
following the 2008 elections and, for the first time in history, Rwanda
had a minister for gender equality (Burnet, 2008; MGFP, 2011).

15. ‘Gender equality is not
just women’s business, it
is everybody’s business
… gender equality and
women’s empowerment
are critical to
sustainable socio-
economic development’
(MGFP, 2010a)
Paul Kagame
President of Rwanda

16. 4. Gender equality policies
in the UAE

17. Rhetoric or reality?
• The UAE government is very vocal in its belief that women are entitled to be
fully functioning societal members and to become effective partners in the
development of the UAE
• The Ministry of State for Federal National Council affairs released a report
stating that women’s rights were grounded in the UAE Constitution, declaring
clearly that both men and women are equal in their rights and obligations in
accordance with the tenets of Islam (MFNCA, 2015)
• Yet in the Constitution, women are referred to as wives and mothers, rather
than autonomous agents and citizens in their own right
• While the spirit of the UAE Constitution may be focused on the attainment of
equality, it does give the appearance of upholding traditional gender roles
rather than dismantling these patriarchal symbols that stand in the path of
gender equality (Kirdar, 2010; Alhmoudi, 2018).

18. 5. Analyzing public policy on
gender and sustainable
development

19. 6 policy design principles (Daly & Farley, 2004)
• The first principle is that policy will always have more
than one goal and each goal therefore requires an
independent policy instrument
• One instrument (paid maternity leave) cannot serve two
independent goals (cost efficiency and equity). A second
instrument (e.g. reduction in pay-roll tax) needs be used to
improve cost competitiveness so that, with two policy
instruments, it is possible to meet both efficiency and
equity goals

20. 6 policy design principles (Daly & Farley, 2004)
• The second principle is that policies should strive to attain
the necessary degree of macro-control with minimum
sacrifice of micro-level freedom
• Once married, an Emirati man is required, by law, to
financially care for his wife and children, but with no
repercussions if he willingly fails to do so (Musawah,
2015). An Emirati woman, meanwhile, is required by law
to ‘willfully obey’ her husband with the risk that failure to
do so could result in her losing financial maintenance
(Chaudhry, 2016).

21. 6 policy design principles (Daly & Farley, 2004)
• The third principle: leave a margin for error to
accommodate unanticipated (possibly irreversible) events
• ‘women are the key to sustainable development; they are the
passers of knowledge, they teach habits and behaviors, and
if you develop women in this capacity, generations to come
will continue to benefit from that greater understanding of
impact on their own environment’ (W4, 2012)
• Few societies around the world truly value the caring and
nurturing work undertaken by women (usually unpaid) that
is so essential to social cohesion.

22. 6 policy design principles (Daly & Farley, 2004)
• The fourth principle: policies must always recognize the
historical context
• In the Rwandan case, it is simply impossible to ignore
• In the UAE, in stark contrast, history has not enforced
change, and this has imposed a certain gradualism
• Sometimes, gradualism can be a euphemism for doing
nothing, but this certainly does not apply to the UAE.

23. 6 policy design principles (Daly & Farley, 2004)
• The fifth principle: the importance of policies being
adaptable to changing conditions
• Adaptive management is required because climate change
and related social and ecological problems are constantly
moving targets
• Policies that seem ideal in theory may have unforeseen
side effects, and the process of formulating and
implementing public policy on gender and its role in
sustainable development must respond to this feedback.

24. 6 policy design principles (Daly & Farley, 2004)
• The sixth principle: the principle of subsidiarity
• The governing authorities in both Rwanda and UAE have
been very consistent in their rhetoric that empowering
women will enhance the wellbeing of their societies (UAE
Vision 2021; Debusscher & Ansoms, 2013)
• The danger, however, is that policy development occurs in
a place that is too far removed from the place where the
policy is to be applied.

25. 6. Summary and conclusions

26. Summary & conclusions
• The political economies of both countries have, historically,
been heavily influenced by patriarchal traditions
• In the case of Rwanda, however, its catastrophic recent
history served to catapult gender equality to the forefront of
political debate, so much so, it is now acknowledged as one
of the leading nations in the world in the area of gender
equality (WEF, 2018)
• In stark contrast, UAE’s transition is far slower; the gradual
change revealing inconsistencies and anachronisms that,
although difficult to rationalize, and not insurmountable
obstacles to change.

27. Alhmoudi, M.K. (2018). Progress or patriarchy? An analysis of the UAE’s commitment to gender equality.
International Journal of Current Research, 10(10), 74345-74357. https://doi.org/10.24941/ijcr.32720.10.2018
Daly, H. E. & Farley, J. C. (2004). Ecological Economics: Principles and Applications. Washington: Island Press.
Debusscher, P., and Ansoms, A. (2013). Gender equality policies in Rwanda: Public relations or real transformations?
Development and Change, 44(5), 1111-1134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/dech.12052
Pottier, J. (2002). Reimagining Rwanda: Conflict, Survival and Disinformation in the Late Twentieth Century.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
UAE Vision 2021 (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.vision2021.ae/en/uae-vision
WEF (2018). The Global Gender Gap Report 2018. World Economic Forum. Retrieved from:
https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-gender-gap-report-2018
Women’s WorldWide Web (W4) (2012). Barefoot College: rural women revolutionize sustainable development.
Retrieved from: https://www.w4.org/en/wowwire/rural-women-lead-sustainable-development-india
Selected references

28. Thank You
CSRE
4th Floor, ONE JLT
Jumeirah Lakes Towers
Dubai, UAE
+971 4 510 1400
csre@modul.ac.ae
www.modul.ac.ae/research
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