Bayt.com survey finds that men are happy for their partners to earn more, and they like career women, too!
Dubai, UAE, October 9, 2006: "Marry pretty women or ugly ones. Short ones or tall ones. Blondes or brunettes. Just, whatever you do, don't marry a woman with a career." So said Michael Noer, Executive News Editor of Forbes.com, in a recent article that argued that men were unhappier in marriages in which women earned more than US$30,000 a year.
Thankfully, Middle East men are more appreciative of a career woman's virtues, according to a study by the Middle East's number one job site, Bayt.com, which challenges popular Middle East male stereotypes.
In an August online poll, Bayt.com asked visitors whether marrying a career woman was a mistake. More than 60 per cent of the 760 respondents gave a resounding vote of confidence to working women, while less than a third said that career women made a poor choice of partner because they were 'never at home'.
Michael Noer's opinion piece provoked a storm of controversy when it appeared this summer, and ultimately an apology from the magazine's editor-in-chief, Steve Forbes.
Noer used statistics to support his arguments, but career women around the globe were far from impressed. In a rebuttal on the Forbes website, Forbes employee Elizabeth Corcoran raged: "Note to guys: Start by going to the gym. Then try some new music. Or a book. Or a movie. Keep connected to the rest of the world. You'll win, and so will your marriage."
According to Bayt.com, Middle East men do not share Noer's views (although they might need Corcoran's advice) and are even happy to earn less than their partner. When asked in a September Bayt.com poll 'Would it bother you if your wife earned more than you?', 64.1 per cent of the 832 people polled answered 'Not at all'.
Only 18 per cent felt it was still their role to be the family's main breadwinner, and 17.8 per cent said they might not like their partner earning more than them but they would not admit it.
Bayt.com's Mona Ataya, Vice President for Marketing, said: "It's refreshing to see that men in this region are more progressive than many people think, especially outside the Middle East - and they clearly have a mature attitude towards the workplace. Either that or they don't mind women doing all the work!"
Founded in 2000, Dubai-based Bayt.com has offices in 10 regional cities - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Doha, Manama, Kuwait City, Amman and Islamabad.
With a database of more than one million users, mostly from around the GCC but also the wider Middle East, Africa, Asia, North America and Europe, Bayt.com conducts regular user and visitor polls on pressing employment issues.
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Editor's notes:
Bayt.com is the leading recruitment consultancy and job site in the Middle East, offering a complete range of end-to-end employment solutions and career planning tools, both online and offline.Bayt.com is fully functional in both English and Arabic and offers the fastest, easiest, most effective and cost efficient methods for employers to find quality candidates, and for job seekers to find top jobs in the Middle East and North Africa.
Bayt.com is committed to the region and understands the Middle East market better than anyone else. Its fully bilingual platform is the first and only such platform in the region, and Bayt.com has 10 regional offices: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City, Manama, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Amman, Doha, Islamabad. With over 1.2 million professionals and 25,000 leading organisations using Bayt.com's recruitment services across all industry categories and career levels, Bayt.com is today the single largest marketplace of professionals and companies in the region. Post your jobs, search our databases or find your dream job online today with Bayt.com, the Middle East's number one job site.
Bayt.com job seeker poll
10/09/06 to 14/09/06 (total respondents: 832)
Would it bother you if your wife earned more than you?
No, not at all - 64.1%
It might hurt my ego, but I wouldn't say anything - 17.8%
Yes, it's my role to be the main breadwinner - 18.1%
28/08/06 to 31/08/06 (total respondents: 760)
Is it a mistake to marry a career woman?
Yes, they are never at home - 32.5%
No, managing the household is a joint responsibility - 62.1%
Don't know - 5.4%
For more information, please contact:
Mona Ataya
VP Marketing
Bayt.com Inc, Dubai
Tel: +9714-3911900
Fax: +9714-3911915
Email: press@bayt.net
Rawnak Tahir/Lina Zain Aldin
Polaris Public Relations
Dubai
Tel: +9714-3348520
Fax: +9714-3341326
Email: info@polaris-me.com
© Press Release 2006
