Abu Dhabi parents seek balance between work and family life

Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business

Surveys conducted by the newly-recognized Fellows of the Shamsa bint Mohamed Al Nahyan Fellowship in Early Childhood Development (ECD) offer fascinating insights into the challenges working Emirati parents face in childrearing and their desire for help juggling the work-life dynamic.
A recognition ceremony took place at which the 10 Fellows showcased their individual projects that explored key issues in early childhood development and identified resources to support parenting. The range of projects varied from how pediatricians and parents can work together to promote optimal child development and ways to enhance the capability of teachers to support social-emotional development, to the importance of parents reading to their young children and guidance for siblings of children who have autism.
Fellow Khawla Saleh’s project, Promoting the Development of Family-Friendly Work Environments in the UAE, included her surveying 84 working mothers in Abu Dhabi. Over 63 percent of respondents believe there is a need for more family-friendly work environments. During the initial stages of the project, Saleh spent considerable time observing a local family at home.
“One key assignment included an ongoing observation of an infant and mother in their home over a period of nine months,” said Saleh. “The real-life insights I gained have been instrumental in my applying what I learned from the Fellowship seminars to identify strategies to address daily issues and concerns felt by young parents in the UAE.”
“Almost all of the women I surveyed had a lot of ideas about how to enhance workplace policies and practices to enable mothers to be more effective in their roles as employees as well as parents. For example, some women sought more flexible works hours upon returning to work following maternity leave, while others suggested on-site lactation rooms.”
Drawing on her survey findings, Saleh now aims to create a resource hub for working UAE mothers to support their home and work life balance. She will begin by developing a series of workshops and print resources to target and encourage public and private sector organizations to gather feedback from working mothers on the types of workplace supports they would like.
Fellow Noora Al Meraikhi’s project explored the impact of Emirati parents use of internet-ready devices on their relationships with their young children. Overwhelmingly, parents reported that they believe the use of mobile phones, tablets, and computers was having a negative impact on their children’s early development and family life in general.
Parents said they regularly use such devices for more than five hours a day at home, and primarily for work purposes. They went on to say that this has an impact on the amount of time they spend with their children as well as their ability to limit the time their children spend ‘plugged in’.
Al Meraikhi plans to administer her survey to a larger group of parents this summer, after which she will develop resources aimed at increasing parental awareness about the appropriate use of screen devices and also offer tips for enhancing parent-child engagement.
Trained under Yale University’s Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy, the Fellows displayed and discussed their projects at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi, at a recognition ceremony on May 25.
Sheikha Shamsa bint Mohammed Al Nahyan, the leader and patron of the Foundation’s Early Childhood Development program said: “We have been fortunate to work with a dedicated team of Fellows. Through the Fellowship, their collective passion to improve early childhood development initiatives has been transformed into innovative ideas and concepts that will benefit parents and children across the nation.”

“Our Fellows’ projects confront some of the most pressing and relevant issues for young families in the UAE – from supporting working mothers and understanding the impact of technology on the parent-child relationship, to educating parents about key milestones in their child’s healthy development and the importance of reading to children in the early development phase.”

The Fellowship is aimed at supporting the professional development of emerging leaders who work with or on behalf of young children in the UAE. Attracting professionals from various disciplines – including but not limited to health, education, social sciences, child protection, and communications – the program promotes a multidisciplinary approach to serving young children and their families.