UAE women break the glass ceiling in space

Dubai - UAE has shown to the world that it walks the talk when it comes to gender equality.

The UAE has an unprecedented record for the inclusion of women in all sectors, especially space, that has challenged global conventions.

In announcing the first female Arab astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi who will be joining her colleague Mohammed Al Mulla to form the second batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme, the UAE has shown to the world that it walks the talk when it comes to gender equality.

The biggest proof of this fact is that 50 per cent of employees at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) comprise women.

Trailblazing women like Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and the Chairperson of the UAE Space Agency, has been quoted saying “we don’t usually see the same trend of inequality that you see globally. Ironically, when we meet with international entities, that’s when I’m often the only woman in the room.”

Salem AlMarri, UAE’s Assistant Director General for Scientific and Technical Affairs and Head of the UAE Astronaut Programme, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in an exclusive telephonic interview with Khaleej Times on Saturday said: “If you look at the number of students who graduate from the UAE universities, women are double in numbers as compared to male graduates. There is an increase in numbers of female engineers and scientists, so looking at the number of graduates coming through, the drive and push for women to be at the workplace, especially in space… they, one day could be higher in numbers as compared to their male counterparts.”

Even Omran Sharaf, Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) Project Director, during a tête-à-tête with KT had earlier talked about the UAE’s sustained commitment towards women who are finding their place in space.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a woman who gets selected for the UAE’s Astronaut Programme this time. Anything can happen. One thing that is unique about the EMM, as compared to other similar missions that you will find around the world, is that 34 per cent of the workforce is Emirati women out of the 200 people working on this mission. I have eight deputies in the mission and 50 per cent of the leadership (out of those eight) within the EMM are women.”

“Around 80 per cent of our science team consists of women and each one of them has earned their position because of their work and not because someone is a woman. We look at the merit and performance. We give an opportunity to everyone regardless of gender. This was the mindset that was set and has been the vision of the country when it was established on 2 December 1971. This journey didn’t start with EMM, this journey started 50 years ago.”

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