Doing Business In The Middle East: What In The World Is A Female Executive Supposed To Wear?

Editor's note: Mary Ellen Randall, president and chief executive officer of software and systems integration firm Ascot Technologies, recently traveled to the Middle East in her role as worldwide chair of the Women in Engineering for the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Local Tech Wire asked Randall to share her experiences as a woman doing business in the Middle East.

CARY, N.C. - As the worldwide chair for IEEE's Women In Engineering (WIE), it was an honor to help celebrate the third anniversary for WIE in the United Arab Emirates.

However, it was one of those times when my first thought was "What shall I wear?"

Visiting Dubai and Abu Dhabi is in many ways, like visiting a modern western city. There are skyscrapers, highways, traffic, luxury hotels, and shopping. Dubai, in particular has extraordinary malls, in addition to the open market souks (shops). If you are looking for the indoor ski slope, it is found in a mall in Dubai.

UAE is a country with just around 4.5 million people. Of these, only about 20 percent are considered "nationals." The size of the country is about 30,000 square miles, slightly smaller than South Carolina. . You can travel the modern highway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

A relatively new country, UAE was formed in 1971 when seven emirates joined together. Oil is a chief export, but there is a great push underway for tourism. Nestled between Saudi Arabia and Oman on the Arabian Gulf, the beautiful beaches and blue-green gulf waters are very inviting. There is great national pride and respect for the ruling Sheikhs who are investing in education, infrastructure and the future. The taxi drivers are quick to point out the incredible number of buildings under construction and tell you that 1/3 of the world's large building cranes are in use in Dubai. The new construction was on a scale I had never seen before.

Separate Facilities

Although women's rights are written into the constitution, there is separation of the sexes in many activities. The University of Sharjah, for example, has identical engineering programs for men and women. For the most part, the classes are taught in separate identical buildings with separate identical labs.

At a large business dinner, tables were clearly "reserved" for women. Sometimes, men and women dined in separate rooms. At one such dinner, women from various Arab countries compared cultural similarities and differences, which was very interesting. In the smaller business events, men and women sat together. The separate seating arrangement was in contrast to resort and casual restaurant dining where men and women dined together like in any restaurant in the US.

Most major businesses are setting up offices in Dubai. A separate airport is under construction which will be bigger than the first. With the incredible growth, there is huge opportunity. Many of the business people we met were from other countries around the world.

The style of dress varied greatly. Most women "nationals" dressed in a long black robe, called an abaya. Most also covered their heads with a shayla, a long scarf draped to cover the hair and neck. Some even wore a veil to cover their face. It was striking to see how gracefully the women floated in this clothing.

Considerations To Remember

If you are a woman traveling to UAE, there are some considerations.

It was not necessary to cover the head, but in some other Middle Eastern countries, that is required. Business attire is appropriate, even slacks may be worn. Skirts should not be too short. Long skirts are very popular there.

Cover your shoulders. In the resorts, the tourist dress is much more revealing and even halter tops were worn, although you might attract some unwanted attention in the shops if you dress that way.

The shopping areas in Dubai were incredible. Besides the ski slope, they were elegantly decorated and had large open foyers that spanned several floors. These were beautifully decorated with plants and waterfalls. All the major brands were present and people were buying. Electronics, fabric, gold and spices are also popular purchases in Dubai.

Getting around was much easier than I expected. Most of the signs were in English and Arabic. Some were in English alone. Menus were in English and all the wait staff spoke fluent English. The taxi service was very professional, as were the service people in the hotels and restaurants. This is definitely a place where a tourist is pampered.

By far, the best part about visiting UAE was the people. They were gracious in all respects and even invited us to their family home for a traditional meal. My experience helped reinforce my belief that people are good, no matter what their culture and no matter where you go.

Mary Ellen Randall is President & CEO of award winning Ascot Technologies, Inc., a software and systems integration company which specializes in cell phone & mobile applications. Prior to founding Ascot, she spent 22 years with IBM in New York, Montreal and Research Triangle Park, NC.