Empowerment on Trial: Encountering Emirati Women’s Voices

March 29, 2018 For a long time, Emirati women were mainly associated with the concealed space of the domestic household and considered as the guardians and transmitters of Emirati tradition and religious values. During the last years, however, Emirati women figure more prominently on the public stage – not least due to a variety of state-sponsored programs aiming at the empowerment of women, particularly in the domain of education, political representation and economic performance. In this context, the term women leadership looms largely in public and governmental discourses highlighting the success that Emirati women meanwhile have achieved by venturing into a great variety of occupations, ranging from business women and politicians, to fighter pilots, athletes, and offshore engineers. The panel discussion aims at alleviating this gap by bringing together three distinguished Emirati women who will address the theme of women’s empowerment from the perspective of their individual specializations and experiences. Speakers Maitha Al Khayat, Writer & Illustrator, Individuals Mona Al Ali, Museum Curator and Consultant, Individuals Rana Al Mutawa, PhD Candidate in Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford Moderated by Laila Prager, Senior Humanities Research Fellow, NYUAD