How difficult is it for mums in Dubai to get back to work? – Survey Results

A few weeks ago, we conducted a survey on working mothers in the UAE in an endeavour to understand what people across the country thought about the job market in the UAE for moms returning to work either immediately after having children or post a more substantial break. With the government increasingly promoting gender equality all over the country, we wanted to hear what our audience had to say about the difficulties or lack thereof, for working moms in the UAE, who make up a sizeable percentage of female working professionals in the country. 

We opened up the survey to over 300,000 followers across our social media outlets and email subscriber base to bring you a healthy representation of the perspectives of the overall population about UAE’s working moms.

How Easy or difficult is it for moms to find work in the UAE

One of the things we wanted to understand from the survey, was the perception about the ease with which moms get jobs in the UAE. A large majority of 59.46% of respondents said that they believed it is actually challenging for moms wanting to get back to work in the UAE. There are not enough jobs for working moms in the UAE, creating a difficult situation for those wanting to return to work. 

Christabel, one of the people who sent in their comments on this said: “I quit my job when I was expecting for my baby. And now it seems getting a job is next to impossible. I feel organizations should be more cooperative and understanding when it comes to women who want to continue their careers and give them equal opportunities.”

Christabel is not alone in her thoughts, as many other moms who attempted to get back to work faced the same hurdles when it came to finding jobs opportunities for working moms in the UAE. 

There could be a number of reasons why organisations are hesitant when it comes to hiring working moms in the UAE. Often there is a reluctance to employ working mums because of the assumption that there will be lower productivity with such candidates, as their family would come first.  

“There are a lot of moms who do want to start work again after a maternity break in the UAE but it is so difficult to find work opportunities for moms with flexible hours. Employers need to be more accepting of the candidates who are trying to get back to work after a maternity break. They need to understand that taking a maternity break does not change a candidate’s previous work experience and skills,” said Parul Mishra, one of the survey respondents. 

Is hiring working moms in the UAE detrimental to the organisation? 

To understand if people believed that UAE’s working mums would make bad employees, we asked this question to our audience. The results were pleasantly surprising! Most people believed that there was no risk involved in employing moms in the UAE, and were in fact in support of the move. Most male respondents also believed that there should be no discrimination and that it was ‘inspiring’ to see moms balance work and family life so beautifully. 

So what’s stopping people from hiring moms? Is it a lack of interest on the mom’s part? Or is it that circumstances make it difficult for them to return to work after having children in the UAE. 

Most of our respondents said that moms, especially in the UAE choose to get back to work almost immediately after having children. Financial obligations are the biggest reason why women were getting back to work this quickly. There is also fear that a longer maternity break might endanger their prospects in the job market in the UAE. A sizeable chunk of the respondents also said moms returned to work for their own personal career aspirations. 

“It’s very strange that despite being equally competitive and dedicated towards work, working moms get a lower degree of support from colleagues and management. If they need to take a leave due to the kids being sick, people around can be quite judgemental and aspiring moms loose opportunities as a result,” said Richa Gupta one of the survey respondents. 

More than 50% of the people said moms got back to work within the year and only a very small 8.11% said they were moms or knew of moms who did not get back to work at all. This suggests that a majority of moms do want to get back to work and all that is lacking is a supportive environment and lack of adequate career opportunities for working moms in the UAE. There are also not enough home-based jobs in the UAE for working moms, which would be a good option to have especially in the early years. 

Having a nursery in the office premises and more flexible working hours are the two things people believe will make life easier on working mothers in the UAE, along with support from the management. This makes perfect sense, especially in the early years when children require more attention and help. If you are a working mom looking for nurseries near your workplace please be sure to check out our post on nurseries near business hubs in Dubai. 

Paula Campos wrote to us and said that she believed the perceptions about moms working in the UAE are completely wrong. She said: “I think people expect moms to work less, but I think they become more productive and focused. They want to make it worth it for the company giving them an opportunity too, but always have a hard time finding a job.”

At Bayut, the management is in complete agreement with the idea that working moms should be encouraged. We believe that working moms are an asset to the organisations and have several policies in place to enable them to work to their maximum efficiency. We have flexible working hours for working moms and a supportive management that can appreciate the fact that there may be emergencies and special circumstances. We also chose Dubai Design District as our location, since there is a nursery right across our office premises, which means working mums in Bayut have the option to leave their kids there during the day and check in on them quickly if the need arises. We take gender equality and workforce diversity at Bayut very seriously and are proud of the fact that we have working moms in senior management. 

Aseel Qassem Al Zoubi, a working mom who is part of the creative marketing team at Bayut shares her experience.

“When I initially started at Bayut, I used to work the usual 9-6 shift, but I was finding it hard to reach by the time the school closed. Later, when I put in a request to change my hours, my manager was extremely supportive and they changed it immediately. Even on days when I have trouble with the school or my daughter is unwell, I have complete support from management and they even encourage me to work from home on such occasions.” 

We are sure with the right support, working moms will most definitely rise to the occasion and become valuable assets to the organisation. After all the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world! We hope more companies align with the government’s vision to employ more and more moms and create a gender inclusive workforce in the UAE. The Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, said it best when he elaborated on the role of women and mums in shaping the future. 

Behind every great community stand great women, leading each generation and raising our families and nation higher.”

Supporting the vision of the Ruler of Dubai, more and more job sites in the UAE are popping up, offering new avenues for women in the workforce. Thus, we can expect to see more women in the leading roles in the upcoming days!

What are your thoughts on career opportunities for working moms in the UAE? Let us know in the comments section below. To stay informed about more interesting surveys about life in the UAE, be sure to check in to the best property blog in the UAE, MyBayut.