It's so unfair. Women who are earning as much as men should be able to sponsor their children. I strongly believe that we (women) should have equal rights as men. I hope that UAE will study this matter and come up with a solution the sooonest.
-- Pinky, Dubai
Laws in the UAE deprive many basic individual rights which drive people away to settle in other countries. I totally support the notion of women being allowed to sponosr her child. Regarding "western influence," I suppose the only fear of the authorities would have is the increasing need of baby-sitters & day-care centers.
-- Fatema Haji, Minnesota, USA
This is indeed an issue of unfairness. In these challenging times where divorce is rampant, and many women are providing for their children "single-handedly" simply because the many men do not provide financial support that is appropriate with the growing expense of raising a family. The legal system somehow has loop holes and men seem to get away from fulfilling this obligation.
Let's examine a another scenario- the husband suffers a stroke, there are 4 children ranging from 5 -12.
A woman has to go out and earn a living to raise the family. Even if she has to seek employment in a foreign country. I urge the authorities to re-visit the current policy of differentiating the employement contract of a woman and accord her fair employment terms - go for a common salary scale for men & women. Hire base on merit, hire those with the right skill sets and knowledge required for the job function. In the long term it will build a healthy employment practise which is desired for a country that's undergoing change and nationalisation of jobs. What is needed is "building capability" irrespective of gender. I am seeing many local women taking up high positions. To encourage helathy mind-set, the authorities need to pay attention to this.
Asking for current hiring unfairness practise to be reviewed doesn't mean we are adopting a western belief or culture.
By the way, i'm a Muslim woman who's been working and raising my family single-handedly since my husband "disappeared". I have been fortunate to have been employed on fair terms in Asia.
-- Haseena, Houston
It is good that this issue has been raised but the problem is not restricted to our children but also to our parents. Why should women who earn the stipulated salary not be allowed to sponsor her parents if they are old and dependent. Some of us have parents who cannot stay on their own and need us to look after them. Every law, every religion states that we must look after our parents. If there is a guarantee that we will not just bring our parents here and misuse the facilities here like some people have done causing authorities to become more strict, I think we should be allowed to let them stay with us.
-- Marsha, Dubai
Hi! Dubai is my home or I have always considered it to be although I am an expatriate....but I was brought up here. Since i got divorced & had a baby girl, I realised I could not sponsor her. So there were a lot of problems for me. Why can't a woman sponsor her child if she can make sure that the child is well looked after & that she can take care of her child. My religion, which is Islam, allows divorce. So what right does anybody have to say that I cannot sponsor my child? In this way, a country drives away its female workforce. Worse still, it indirectly urges women to get remarried, which I don't think is right. I hope somebody reading this can come up with an answer.
--Rouhi Khan, Dubai
It's really good that this topic is being discussed. I feel it is natural and healthy to let a woman sponsor her children if she earns enough to give a decent life to them. Especially if the woman is a single parent, in consideration of the emotional needs of the children this should be given serious thought. Finally, a woman should get all the benefits which her male counterpart gets.
--Samshath, Abu Dhabi
I used to live in Dubai for nine years. But when I got divorced, even though I had a good salary I could not sponsor my children there. That was one of the main reasons why I left for Canada. Here, I can sponsor my children and am paid equally for my work.
I am glad you came up with this issue -- I hope atleast somebody in authority will take some steps to consider this issue.
--Arifa Riaz
It is a tough life in the UAE - where women are considered to hold a
more important position than men. There are a lot of women around who
are torn between providing for their families and being with them, and
the choice is tough. We have seen around us several women who are
capable of taking care of their families, but are unable to do so because
of the laws in force.
This results in depression and a whole deal of
other psychological illnesses. We often come across women who cannot
sponsor their families -- though in good positions and are forced to stay
away from their children -- some may object that such women should not
work -- but they are a source of income for a family who is surviving on
a shoestring budget. What about the widows -- their children are away
and there is no family support. This matter is a touching subject and
only a woman will understand what another goes through.
--Fiona D'Souza
As an American Muslim, I can relate to both the Islamic perspective of the ruling by the UAE nation and to the foreign women's belief in their rights and responsibilities from their home nation. I believe that women should be allowed to sponsor their children if she is married and making more than her husband to allow her to sponsor the family if he can not, or if she is the sole supporter of the family, but is bringing her husband with her to help.
Islamic nations have every reason to protect their nations from the problems of the West; many of which rise from the difficulties of children being raised with proper care. If a woman comes alone to the UAE with children, how will they be cared for while she works?
The sponsoring company is not used to dealing with issues of their guest
workers dealing with childcare and they do not have to. The expatriate worker
is there to work and if he or she cannot concentrate on their reason for
being brought to the nation, then they are just taking advantage of the
higher salary and standard of living that they would not have received if
they stayed in their home nation. If she brings her husband, he can be a
stay-at-home-dad, but someone has to take charge of the home and family, more
so with the new aspects of living abroad.
--Colleen Stephenson, Portland, Oregon, USA
Assalamu-Alaikum!
I am an Indian American who has grown up in the U.A.E. I think with all the
changes over there, it should not be an issue for a woman to sponsor her
children as long as she has the financial and emotional means to carry out
her responsibilities. What mother would like to live without her children
especially if she can support them as well as or better than her husband. I
think the government is pretty understanding and if a lot of women represent
this problem to the right authority they may be able to get a positive
response.
--Gail
If heaven lay at the feet of the mother, then surely every mother should be allowed to sponsor her child (if not the husband).
--Kamal
