YGLs at the Forum’s Special Meeting at the Dead Sea, Jordan – Leadership & the Power of Women

Oct 22, 2011

Alongside the World Economic Forum's Special Meeting on Job Creation and Economic Development in the Arab World, the Forum of Young Global Leaders gathered for a full afternoon of sessions looking into What's next for the Arab World, Role Models and Leadership, and the Power of Arab Women in the "Era of Change".

The second session of the day welcomed the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers and was about Leadership in the Arab World focused on the following questions: How can the Arab world establish a societal structure that encourages better leadership? How can Arabs take on the challenge of demanding accountability from their leaders?

"About 15 years ago," mentioned one participant, "Egypt reached a point where not being a thief qualified one for public leadership." Others noted socioeconomic stratification, undue focus on piety, and widespread distaste for constructive failure as potentially inhibiting factors to the development of quality leaders and leadership in the Middle East.

The participants raised as many questions as they did answers, suggesting that leadership in this context is a particularly fluid concept. Leadership might be an individual, an idea, or an action. A leader can be a political figure, a social movement, or a budding entrepreneur. Broadening our definition of leadership can help us analyze institutions of all sizes and recognize the importance of many different types of leaders, hopefully enabling us to demand accountability of our role models and propogate tangible change in the wake of the Arab Spring.

The Young Global Leaders and Global Shapers next tackled the issue of women in the Middle East, a topic that elicited opinions across the spectrum of political and moral thought. Participants broadly agreed that women have fewer opportunities in the business and political spheres but varied greatly in their ideas about what, if anything, should be done to fix it.

Conversation honed in on three particular issues plaguing female empowerment in the Middle East. Some suggested that the Arab social value system might be a key issue, citing the subservient role of women in the family unit. Others highlighted child-rearing and the negative consequences that a 10-15 year career break could have on a woman's professional life. A few mentioned the use of women's rights as a political tool by authoritarian leaders and worried about a post-revolutionary backlash against liberalization policies enacted by autocratic regimes.

Participants suggested plenty of possible solutions, but a key focus of debate seemed to be the moral basis upon which change might be enacted. Is it reasonable to adopt a liberal women's rights agenda if some conservative women accept the status quo? Although that might be the case, governments should consider actionable policies to advance female empowerment in MENA. Ensuring that new governments in Egypt, Tunisia, and elsewhere protect existing women's rights legislation would be a fine start.

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