In the Name of Allah the

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In the Name of Allah the
Most Gracious
The Most Merciful
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The Roles of Women in Modern Arab Science
Professor Samira Ibrahim Islam Ph.D. Professor
of Pharmacology Faculty of Medicine and Allied
Sciences Head Drug Monitoring Unit King Fahd
Medical Research Centre King Abdulaziz
University Jeddah, Kingdom Of Saudi
Arabia American Association in the Advancement
of Science Annual Meeting Washington, DC 17th
22nd February 2005
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Acknowledgment
Many thanks to The American Achievement in
the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting
for their invitation. Special thanks to All
who in one way or another helped during the
making of this presentation.
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Please note

• The population diversity of 307 millions from 22
  Arab countries is not easy to demonstrate.
• At certain points one or more countries are
  selected as representatives or used as examples.
• The term science is used to express all
  scientifically and technically based disciplines.

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Purpose of the study

• To document
• The advancement of Arab women in the field of
  Science and technology.
• The contributions of Arab women to the
  development of modem Arab scientific community.

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Introduction
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The Role of Women in the Arab World

• High fertility rate reduces Arab women mobility
  and chances of gaining remunerative employment
  outside the home.
• Islam advocates and promotes education for both
  men and women.

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Opportunities for Women in the Arab Region

• School Education
• University Education
• Careers and Employment

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Schooling in the Arab Region

• Science education begins between the ages of 6
  and 7 and is taught as an integrated compulsory
  subject to both boys and girls.
• Major science disciplines are studied separately
  in the last two or three years of high school.
• The first modern schools for women were opened
  in Egypt (1829), Lebanon (1835) and Iraq (1898).
• In other countries like Kuwait, Yemen and Saudi
  Arabia, modern education for women is a product
  of the 20th century. (Eg 1960 in Saudi Arabia)

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Schooling in the Arab Region

• However stereotyping may occur due to
• Misleading perceptions that science and
  technology are boys subjects.
• Failure of the curricula to relate science and
  technology to reality of both girls as well as
  boys.

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University Education

• In Egypt women have attended university since the
  1920s
• Saudi women were admitted to formal university
  in 1973
• Six of the eight major universities in Saudi
  Arabia teach science. Only one out of these six
  does not accept women.
• The percentage of females enrolled in science
  and technology university range from 82 in the
  UAE in 1999 to 8 in Djibouti.

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Percentage of females to the total enrolled
students in Science discipline in the Arab
universities
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Careers in ST for Arab Women

• Female scientists excel in teaching, health and
  research.
• Although there is an increasing pool of highly
  qualified women scientists in some Arab
  countries, few women in universities and science
  institutes are holding top positions.

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Careers in ST for Arab Women

• More women work in the education sector than the
  health sector.
• Reluctance of talented women to enter into a male
  dominated working world of scientists.
• Recent survey showing the 50 most powerful women
  in the Arab world, identifies only one that has a
  science background.

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Perception of women scientist about their work
and professional opportunities

• In Arab Countries, career opportunities for
  female science graduates are considerably more
  limited than those for men.
• In Egypt and Saudi Arabia
• pharmacy and dentistry, more than 40 of the
  faculty are women
• In the sciences 25 of the faculty are women
• Department of engineering and technology, less
  than 10
• However these patterns are similar to those seen
  in U.S. universities, where women constitute
• 50 of health sciences faculty
• 23.8 of biological sciences faculty
• 6.1 of engineering faculty

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Opportunities available in the Arab Region

• Research Grants
• International Awards

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Researchers in the Arab Region compared with
other countries
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Research Funds
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Research Grants in the Arab Region

• Some national research institutes that provide
  research grants in the Arab region
• King Abdulaziz City for Science Technology
  (KACST) in Saudi Arabia.
• Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of
  Sciences. (KFAS)
• The National Board for Scientific Research (NBSR)
  in Libya.

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KACST funded research in the year 2002
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International Awards

• Nobel Prize
• -Out of the 773 Laureates, 34 are women (4.4)
• -Of these women 17.6 are in science
• King Faisal International Prize
• -Out of the 152 Laureates, 4 are women (2.6 )
• -Of these women one is a scientist.

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Ongoing Efforts to Encourage Women in ST

• Individual support by powerful women.
• LOreal/ UNESCO For Women in Science
• School student mentoring programs of girls.
• The experience in Saudi Arabia
• Postgraduate Degrees
• Joint Supervision Programs
• International Research Collaboration

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Individual Support by Powerful Women

• Queen Rania of Jordan
• Sheikha Sabeeka Al Khalifa of Bahrain
• HH Princess Al Jawhara of Saudi Arabia
• Nursing Award
• Science Award
• Center for Molecular Medicine, Genetics and
  Inherited Diseases in Bahrain

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LOreal/ UNESCO For Women in Science

• Out of the 29 female laureates, 2 were
  Arabs.

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The Experience in Saudi Arabia
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Postgraduate degrees granted by Universities

• In the year 1999-2000, 372 graduates were granted
  Master Degree in Science subjects of which 39
  were women. Ph.D. Degrees were granted to 52
  graduates of which 79 were women.

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Joint Supervision Programs
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International Research Collaboration

• A research project was established with the
  LOreal Research Centre related to a Skin
  Menopause study.

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New Developments and Opportunities in Science
and Technology

• Regional Organizations for Women in Science
• International Organizations for Women in Science
• E-learning and tele-medicine

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Regional Organizations for Women in Science

• Saudi Science club, which has formed a womens
  division to support pre-university science
  students.
• Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF -
  Sharja, U.A.E.) recently formed the womens
  committee in support of women members.

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International Organizations for Women in Science

• International organizations whose members are
  mainly women in science
• Arab Network for Women in Science Technology
  (ANWST), Dubai UAE
• International Network of Women Engineers and
  Scientist (INWES)
• International Organizations that support women
  in science
• ESCWA
• UNESCO
• STMRN

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Proposed Future Developments Regarding Womens
Career in Science and Technology

• Overcoming the Language barrier
• Database for Arab women specialized in S T
• Collaborative research between the Arab region
  and countries across the Atlantic.

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Summary

• In higher education all females have the same
  opportunities as males in most fields of science
  and health.
• Limited top job opportunities for females .
• Efforts to encourage women in ST is ongoing,
  such as mentoring programs and joint supervision
  programs.
• New developments, such as E-learning help
  provide opportunities to a greater number of
  women.