Brave New World, Brave New Dawn For MENA
As the Middle East moves in its most progressive direction to date, Aakanksha Tangri, founder of news site Re:Set, reflects on the region’s evolution
Just a few weeks ago, the UAE announced a progressive overhaul of personal and family law in the Emirates, to include new legislation as well as changes to current statute. The relaxing of laws around divorce, inheritance, alcohol consumption and the cohabiting of unmarried couples is amongst the reforms, further changes include the decriminalising of suicide and suicide attempts, and tougher punishments for men who harass women.
As the UAE celebrates its 49th National Day this month, local writer and producer Aakanksha Tangri, who specialises in covering what are often considered ‘taboo’ subjects through her online platform Re:Set, reflects on how the region is moving forward…
I hadn’t seen my friend in months, so I excitedly filled him in about my new start-up. I’m a “boss” now, I laughed, complete with the air-quotes hand gesture.
“Why are you using air quotes?” he asked, confused. “You are a boss.” He was of course right, but I think downplaying achievements is something that sits more comfortably with women than it does men.
I’d put in all the work to set up my own business, from the complex researching of free-zone licenses and finding the right (predominantly female) team members, to the mundane hunting down of the best internet package. All this, while researching stories on mental health, well-being, education, parenting, gender and inclusion, and creating a safe online space to have difficult and often stigmatised conversations.
It got me thinking about how far we’ve come in the country that I grew up in, that a woman can now be a boss with ease, and that the public can have access to a platform such as Re:Set that covers stories about health concerns, postnatal depression amongst fathers, how to speak to your kids about certain boundaries, and delving into the intricacies of mental health and special needs.
We all know the world wasn’t always this progressive, but we’re moving in the right direction… and fast, especially when it comes to gender equality.
For generations, women have been asked to put their own needs and voices on the back burner, but the efforts of female pioneers all across the globe has paved the way for the brilliant women leaders of today, be it the US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who has become the first woman to hold the position, and furthermore a woman of colour, or New Zealand Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Jacinda Ardern, who showed true leadership in the aftermath of the Christchurch Mosque attacks last year.
And here in the UAE where women constitute nearly 27 per cent of ministers in the UAE cabinet, we have the Minister of State for Youth, Her Excellency Shamma bint Suhail bin Faris Al Mazrui, who became the youngest minister in the world when she was appointed in 2016 at the age of 22. The government has also established a Gender Balance Council to help ensure federal entities meet their gender-balance goals, and in September 2008, Dr. Hissa Al Otaiba and Sheikha Najla Al Qasimi became the UAE’s first female ambassadors, serving Spain and Sweden respectively.
Furthermore, there has been a push in the region to put women at the forefront of development and innovation, and here I cite with admiration young female leaders such as Maha Al Mezaina, Head of Area 2071, a Dubai Future Foundation initiative to achieve the goals of UAE Centennial 2071, and one of Oman’s rising young entrepreneurs Malvika Khimji, Director of Khimji Ramdas, a consumer, infrastructure and industrial conglomerate, established in 1870. Malvika is the first of the sixth generation to join the family business and the first female member of the family to be inducted as a director.
And it’s not just within the Ministry that we’re seeing an increase in equality. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2020 ranked the UAE 10th for the sub-index of wage equality for similar work, and a UAE government report from 2015 stated that women occupy 66 per cent of public-sector jobs, one of the highest proportions worldwide, with 30 per cent occupying senior-leadership positions associated with decision-making. Women also hold 60 per cent of the technical jobs in medicine, teaching, pharmacy and nursing, and a huge 21,000 women are employers. We really are the bosses.
We are being encouraged to step up and take our place in society as equals to our male peers, and in addition to this, we can bring to the forefront the issues that affect us as women. Dubai-based beauty mogul Huda Kattan is one of the region’s true success stories, and has used her platforms to be open about her struggles with acne, endometriosis, her mental health and body image.
Similarly, UAE influencer Salama Mohamed has opened up about her experience with vitiligo, something which takes courage considering the pressure around women to conform to certain beauty ideals. Salama also speaks openly with her influencer husband, Khalid Al Ameri about their relationship struggles, mental-health topics and their son’s autism diagnosis. When I moved to the UAE 23 years ago, this sort of openness was unheard of.
But the stigma around topics of mental health are crucial conversations to have, particularly now with COVID-19 challenges. Dialogues around mental-health challenges for both men, women and children have increased in the region and we’re now seeing more people step forward to share their stories, seek help and support others. Talking about depression in a public forum in the region was not commonplace even a few years ago.
Here in the UAE, we’ve seen rapid progress with the government launching the The Mental Support Line this year – a toll-free and confidential helpline established to support those facing mental-health challenges. There’s also been the launch of the National Programme for Happiness and Wellbeing and, of course, there is Re:Set. To date, we’ve reached over 230,000 people across the world by acting as a resource and aid for many looking to learn about subjects including depression, anxiety, and gender and racial equality.
The region is also evolving when it comes to discussion and understanding around racial justice, with His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, speaking out against racism and encouraging coexistence in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s a sign that we’re all growing and becoming more accepting of change.
There is a saying amongst us ’90s kids who have called the UAE home for so long: “We grew up with, as well as in the UAE,” and that is evident in the progress we’ve made as people and as a nation. Now, here in the UAE I am not only able to call myself a boss, but I am proud to be able to do so without the unnecessary, self-diminishing air quotes that I once used.
Read more from Aakanksha Tangri at resetfest.com
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s December 2020 issue.