By Javier Picazo Feliu

Doha, Jan 3 (EFE).- Many women in Qatar still need the permission of a man to study, get married or leave the country, but a new generation is breaking stereotypes and driving a social and economic shift in the Gulf state.

Under Qatar's male guardianship system, women cannot take decisions over their lives and require authorization from a male relative (parent, brother or husband if married). Mothers cannot take decisions on behalf of their children nor gain custody over them in the case of divorce.

In its "Everything I have to do is tied to a man" report, Human Rights Watch underlines that the guardianship system is a medley of laws, policies and practices whereby adult women need male guardian permission for many activities.

Once married, a woman can be deemed "disobedient" if she does not get permission from her husband before working, leaving home, traveling or if she refuses to have sex with him without a "legitimate" reason, the report says.

Despite the nation's Family Law, which says that guardianship ceases when people turn 18, and an article in the Constitution that says there can be no discrimination between genders, the guardianship system is still applied by many households even after women come of age.

A lack in domestic violence legislation also means women are left exposed and unprotected when it comes to abuse from husbands and family members.

"Women in Qatar have broken barriers and achieved significant progress in areas such as education, yet they have to still navigate state-enforced male guardianship rules that limit their ability to live full, productive, and independent lives," Rothna Begum, senior women's rights researcher at HRWatch, warns.

The rigidity of these rules depends on how each family applies them, and the Qatari women that have enjoyed open-minded environments are now paving the way for a new generation of empowered women who have reached the highest echelons in business and politics.

These women get divorced, travel without permission, go to restaurants and launch businesses.

"I have always had the support of my family (...) I never felt intimidated, my voice was always heard even as a fresh graduate," Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari, human resources chief at Qatar's leading telecom company Ooredoo.

"I have to brothers and two sisters and I never felt, even at home, any discrimination between my brothers and us as women, actually my dad was very equal in treating everyone, and coming here (Ooredoo) I was never discriminated against for being a women although I was a minority at the time," the divorced mother adds.

According to the HR expert, women in Qatar have found a space in private companies where they can freely develop their careers without cultural or legal impediments whilst enjoying parental leave, a work-life balance and flexibility.

"Women are really very empowered here in Ooredoo (...) There are many female entrepreneurs that have boosted their businesses with great success," Al Kuwari adds.

This shift is also taking place within the Qatari government where three women lead powerful portfolios with Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari as Health Minister, Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi as Education Minister and Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad as Social and Family Affairs Minister, Al Kuwari says.

EMPOWERED WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Shams Al-Qassabi became a pioneer in Qatar when she launched her business challenging cultural barriers and garnering respect across the emirate thanks to her willpower and humble approach.

Al-Qassabi started making sauces and in 2004 opened a small cafe in Doha's souq.

It is now one of the most famous restaurants in the country and a go-to for international celebrities and members of the emir's family.

"When I first opened my cafe, I was surrounded by men and my family stopped talking to me. But I slowly started to deal with the challenges of going against the cultural norm (...) Women could not work in a mixed environment with both men and women. It wasn't about the country or religion, it was more of a conflict of mentality of the people," Al-Qassabi tells Efe.

New generations have drawn inspiration from her bravery.

Noor al Mazroei, who has become one of Qatar's best known chefs, started her career sharing videos of her dishes on Instagram (@noor_almazroei).

The owner of Blended cafe says women in Qatar are lucky: "We are very empowered and we enjoy every opportunity to work where we want and how we want," the chef tells Efe.

Al Mazroei says that the male guardianship system is cultural and does not impede women stepping into powerful roles.

But not all women have been as lucky as the chef and according to the HRW report unmarried Qatari women under the age of 25 need male permission to travel abroad and can be denied the right to travel at any age.

In 2020, the rights grupo documented several incidents whereby women traveling without a male relative had to wait while airport officials called their male guardians to ensure they were not "escaping."

"When we discuss women 's rights it is a global issue. It is not about one country or another. But if we are talking about Qatar, from my experience, I feel I was lucky to be born here because the opportunities are limitless," Fatma Al-Nuaimi, Qatar 2022 communications director, tells Efe.

She says she is proud that over 50% of her team are women despite football being a male-dominated sport.

CHANGE ON THE HORIZON

Foreign women in Qatar have also had to adapt to a culture that was initially hostile to them.

"At work they consider me the same. No problem. It is one of the wrong ideas in the country (...) Yes, there is a difference, but there is nothing that you cannot adapt to," Michelle Ancona, a Mexican lawyer, who has been in the country for 10 years, says.

"Qatari women have changed a lot in the last ten years and now there are many more women who are studying abroad," she adds.

"We think that it is necessary to implement more courses and awareness campaigns on discrimination issues, and include the issues of violence and harassment in the workplace," says Max Tuñón, who leads the International Labor Organization in Qatar.

According to Tuñón, ILO has worked with the Qatari government to "promote approaches in labor inspection that are more gender-sensitive, in order to identify and solve specific problems that women may face."

Education is the engine of this shift. Although state universities separate students according to their gender, other private education centers, such as the Qatar Foundation, have mixed campuses.

"I was given the opportunity to take a leadership position in Education City and lead these efforts in higher education. We believe in all members of our community, but we also believe in our women. Qatar Foundation is led by women and we are very proud of that fact," Hend Zeinal, Executive Director, Strategy, Management and Partnerships, Higher Education Division · Qatar Foundation, tells Efe

"There is no stigma and there are no barriers to their entry anymore when they come to higher education, so we are very blessed in that sense," Zeinal adds.

"In education city we are very proud of the fact that the majority of our students are female, in this term for example more than 65% of students are female."

The shifts are indicative of a country with a commitment to change and as Al Kuwari says: "we can never have women's empowerment without women empowering women, but also men empowering women. This is very important". EFE

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