29-9-2019

QC Board Member Dr Khalid Klefeekh Al Hajri said while delivering the welcoming address at the third edition of the Doha Women Forum that the government-led initiatives and policies promoting gender equality and women’s active participation in economy, there has been a fourfold-increase in the participation of Qatari women in the private sector since the blockade was imposed on Qatar. To date, Qatari women make up about 37 percent of the female labour force aged between 25 and 29 years, and nearly 49 percent for the 30-34 age group in Qatar. About 30 percent of the decision-making positions in the country, which include leadership posts in the business sector, are women, He added: “Beyond any doubt, this year’s theme ‘Balance for Better’ portrays a strong message to the world that it is time to take active action towards creating a more gender-balanced community. Qatari women have become a key partner in economic development, with Qatar ranking first in the index of equal business opportunities between the sexes in the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Also, Qatari women manage investments amounting to billions of dollars, most of them belonging to the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector”. Qatar Businesswomen Association Vice-Chairwoman Aisha Alfardan, who was keynote speaker during the event, highlighted that women are a strategic partner in accomplishing the Qatar National Vision 2030. Addressing gender inequality which still exists across the globe, Alfardan invited the participants to be part of the solution in providing women with equal access to opportunities as well as equal footing with men.\n