Qatar Affirms Women are 70% of STEM School Graduates

Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah

The State of Qatar reaffirmed its belief in the importance of women's participation in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), considering it a key element in preparing a more balanced workforce to support sustainable development goals.

This came in a statement by HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah during the International Telecommunication Union's celebration of the International Girls in ICT Day under the theme of leadership.

Her Excellency noted that Qatar has adopted proactive and preventive policies to protect human rights in general and women's rights in particular, which have been solidified in Qatar's Vision 2030, emphasizing the enhancement of women's capabilities and empowerment.

She pointed out that the enrollment rate of women in higher education in 2021 reached significant levels, with women constituting 70% of graduates in fields such as information systems, computer engineering, general engineering, medicine, pharmacy, and sciences. She emphasized the necessity of providing technology as a key factor in transforming Qatar into a knowledge-based economy accessible to all members of society, including women.

Her Excellency added that Qatar's analysis revealed the need to develop skills in data science, robotics, cybersecurity, and to improve the use of administrative software, programming, and collaborative platforms. In response to these challenges, several initiatives have been launched in Qatar to increase awareness and support the development of digital skills within the current and future workforce.

She highlighted Qatar's intensive investment in women's education, with women now representing over 58.3% of the local workforce, with strong representation in foreign policy, security, judiciary, and the military, achieving a 15% share in entrepreneurship with investments amounting to $25 billion.

To ensure Qatari women keep pace with technology, Qatar is working to provide various training programs on ICT skills, including social media awareness to enhance small business activities, raise awareness of e-government services, and improve access to these services from home.

Since 2007, Qatar has launched the digital inclusion project as a major step towards developing ICT skills among Qatari women, targeting various segments including households, working women, and teachers.

Her Excellency emphasized that this project directly represents Qatar's National Plan for Empowering Qatari Women as part of Qatar's Vision 2030, where human development is an essential and integral part of sustainable development, in line with the visionary leadership's investment in human capital.

As an example, she referred to the appointment of HE Dr. Hessa Al-Jaber as the first Minister of Information Technology and Communications in Qatar after the formation of the Cabinet in 2013. During her tenure as Secretary-General, she liberated Qatar's communications market, paving the way for an era of choice and competition.

She said that women in Qatar represent 51.6% of all university engineering students, and Qatar achieved this success through multifaceted efforts such as initiatives by the Qatar Research Fund to support projects led by women in research and development in STEM fields.

Her Excellency also explained that the strong representation of Qatari women leaders at the Web Summit Qatar 2024, held from Feb. 26 to 29 in Doha, demonstrated the increasing prowess of Qatari women in the technology sector, breaking previous stereotypes about women's roles in technology in the country.

She noted that the strong representation of Qatari female leadership at the Web Summit Qatar 2024 confirms the country's commitment to empowering women as drivers of technological advancement and economic diversification, as part of the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.

She said that, as a continuation of these efforts, the next Web Summit Qatar will be held in February 2025.

(QNA)