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Foreign Women Seek More Family-Friendly Rules
by Meena Janardhan
DUBAI — After her husband died of blood cancer in the United Arab Emirates, Indian national Rupsha Mathur had no choice but to continue working in the country because she faced staggering hospital bills.
But her decision came at a cost to Rupsha, a researcher in an oil firm in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. She had to leave her six-year-old son back in a hostel in India, because the UAE's labour laws do not permit foreign women working here to sponsor their children.
"I really hate myself for leaving my little child in a hostel. But if I have to repay the hospital bills and give him a good education, I need to keep this job that pays me at least four times what I would have got in India," she said, her voice quivering with emotion.
"Why is it that only expatriate men can sponsor their families? As long as women meet the required criteria, they should also get the same treatment," Rupsha added.
Like her, many foreign women working in the UAE have had to sacrifice family life because of these rules. More than half the UAE's population of some 3 million is made up of foreign nationals, of which 70 percent are males.
Work visas are usually arranged by employers after foreign workers land a job in the UAE. This visa entitles a male foreigner working here to sponsor his wife and children for residence, provided his salary is equal to or above the prescribed levels, usually 4,000 UAE dirhams (1,100 U.S. dollars) a month.
However, the same privilege is not available to a foreign woman, even if she earns more than the stipulated salary.
There is, however, an exception for doctors, teachers and nurses who earn 6,000 dirhams a month (1,700 U.S. dollars) or more, because of the lack of these professionals among the locals. Very often, even these categories do not get paid enough to become eligible.
"Though the Koran does not differentiate on the basis on gender, the interpretations of Shariah laws, which are derived from the religious text, have become discrminatory," said Ahmed Kafafi, a researcher at Dar Al Khaleej Publishers. "As it exists now, the man is seen to be the sole breadwinner of the family and hence has a primary role in its constitution."
But Joseph Mathew of the Legal Advice and Consultancy in Dubai, another emirate in the country, disagreed: "I don't see an Islamic perspective in this. These rules have been in place for the past three decades just to avoid misuse. Though times have changed, reforms have not been undertaken."
Still, Ahmed added, "It is often feared in this part of the world that the presence of single women, married or otherwise, could be a source of encouragement for immoral activities."
Widows, divorcees and women who earn more than their husbands seek the same privileges as men for obvious reasons. But because the system now does not address this issue, these women are often forced to give up their jobs or relinquish the idea of raising their children themselves.
Said Patricia White, a U.S. national and general manager in an advertising agency in Dubai: "When I decided to get a divorce and was granted custody of the children, I realised that I would have to take them out of the country as they could no longer be sponsored by my husband. So I will be leaving Dubai to go back to the United States where I can work and be with my children at the same time."
"Divorced women have as much right to raise their children as their estranged husbands and if they have the financial means to do so, it would be beneficial to have such an option open to them," she added.
Then there are wives, who get better salaries than their husbands and can afford to sponsor their children even if the latter cannot or if the men end up losing their jobs.
Susan Varghese, an Indian nurse at the Al Zahra Hospital in Sharjah, another of the seven emirates, faced such a situation when her husband was retrenched. Though Susan belonged to the category allowed to sponsor families, she was under her husband's sponsorship as she was on probation.
"I had just a month to finish my probation and could then have applied for a family visa. Since I could not do so, we were faced with the option of losing my job as well and returning to India. Luckily my husband got another job within the grace period allotted to him by the immigration authorities," Varghese said.
Because of the limits on sponsoring children, many foreign women who are torn between providing for their families and being with them. Many have had to leave their husbands and children in their home countries and come to the UAE to work. Often, this results in depression and other psychological problems.
"I have left behind my ageing parents, three children and a sickly husband in Manila," said Arlene, a Filipino domestic worker in Dubai. "It's been three years since I saw any of them, but I can't bring them here and what I earn is just enough to send back home for their expenses. And I can't afford the airfare to see them often."
Razia Saleem, a Pakistani attendant in a school in Sharjah, echoes Arlene's woes. "I left Pakistan six years back after my husband left me and my five-year-old son to fend for ourselves. I had to take up this job but have to live away from my son. He is 11 now and all I see of him are his photographs," she lamented.
"With the changing face of society and the increased financial role that a woman has assumed today, is it wrong to seek a law that, if not more favourable, will at least afford equal rights to women?" asked White.
