Emirati women engineers overcome initial hurdles in career

Friday, Aug 26, 2016

Abu Dhabi: As a young Emirati woman engineer working in the aluminium industry, Inaam Al Marzouqi still remembers one of the toughest days of her career. That was in the early days. She was driving a manual car at the potline when her car stalled. [Potline is a row of electrolytic cells used for the electrolytic production of aluminium and is situated in the aluminium industry zone.] Her car stalled in the middle of the road, causing a major traffic jam.

“I couldn’t restart the engine,” said Al Marzouqi, Lead Engineer — Projects at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA).

Due to the magnetic field effect at the potline, she had already taken two weeks to learn driving the manual car. It took her 15 to 17 attempts to restart the car and each time, the car wouldn’t start, she remained undaunted and tried until she succeeded.

Her first day at work was a difficult one too. “The first day I walked onto a construction site, back in 2012, I slipped and fell in front of everyone.”

That too did not faze her. She picked herself up and told herself to just carry on.

“Four years later, I am working as a lead engineer in one of the UAE’s mega projects and am very proud [of myself],” she said.

On the occasion of the second Emirati Women’s Day on August 28, Al Marzouqi and her two colleagues at EGA shared their experiences on what it takes to be engineers. Emirati Women’s Day marks the creation of the General Women’s Union in 1975, and is considered a chance to celebrate Emirati women’s achievements since the union was founded.

Uhoud Al Hashemi, an architect designing EGA’s new global headquarters in Al Taweela, said on some days, she wanted to give up due to the harsh working environment and the challenges of dealing with different kinds of people.

“But my team — colleagues and supervisors — always supported me and gave me reasons to continue by coming up with solutions to overcome those obstacles. They reminded me of my career path, ambition, and what I want in life. Although working in a male-dominant industry has its challenges sometimes, I have always had the full support of my team,” she explained.

Her experience told her women could easily maintain the balance between work and family. “A woman can set the balance according to her priorities and ambition in life just as men do. I don’t think it should be any different,” Al Hashemi said.

Eman Al Hosany, a civil engineer working with the Capital Projects division at EGA, said: “It makes my heart smile to know in this day and age, we don’t need to fight, scream, or shout for recognition. Rather, we are recognised for our hard work and effort just like any determined individual.”

She feels proud that Emirati women have come a long way from being perceived as only homemakers to being equal colleagues at workplace.

EGA, an aluminium conglomerate with interests in bauxite/alumina and primary aluminium smelting, is owned equally by Mubadala Development Company of Abu Dhabi and Investment Corporation of Dubai.

By Binsal Abdul Kader Senior Reporter