| Issue 2
The Growing
Success of
Qatari Women in
the Workplace
T
he last 10 years have seen some important
developments in the journey of Qatari women –
both at school and in the workplace.
Fields that were previously dominated by men are
now industries where women are flourishing. From
engineering, to oil and gas, women are holding senior
positions across both the private and the public sector.
Today, well over half of Qatari women are
economically active and around 20% of senior
management positions are held by women. There is
also a growing number of female entrepreneurs and
business owners who are pursuing new and creative
ideas with the support of organisations such as Qatar
Development Bank.
Qatar Development Bank provides female
entrepreneurs with support to develop and pursue
their business ideas, including training, market
research and, crucially, securing capital. Meanwhile,
Qatar Foundation is also working with young female
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entrepreneurs to help them build their client base and
promote their services.
These developments reflect the evolving role of women
in Qatar and the country’s commitment to promoting
and supporting their active involvement in the economy
as part of its 2030 National Vision.
At the heart of this Vision is a focus on ensuring
young women and girls have the right educational
opportunities. Each year, more and more women are
going on from school to pursue further education. In
fact, Qatar University’s 2016 graduating class comprised
almost 75% women. This year, the class looks set to
match this impressive statistic again.
Qatar knows that if its economy is to flourish in the
post-oil and gas world, the whole of its citizenry, men
and women, must play their part. This will require
the right conditions and support for everyone to
adapt, innovate, and thrive – which is precisely the
environment Qatar is working to create.