As we come to the end of 2020, there is almost a palpable sigh of relief in seeing the back of a year that has been arduous and challenging on multiple levels. And yet, it would be amiss if we did not recognise some of the positives that it has brought – specifically when it comes to gender equality.
The US elected its first woman Vice President-elect in Kamala Harris; the US’ Fortune 500 companies saw a record number of women leaders in 2020 at 37 – up from 33 in 2019; and New Zealand passed a bill to ensure equal pay for men and women.
Coming to the region, labour laws in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have been amended in recent times to bridge the gender-pay gap between men and women with changes including offering more rights to women in the workplace and prohibiting pay discrimination.
But it has been a long journey to reach this point, as Kuwaiti businesswoman Noor Bin Eidan has experienced in her entrepreneurial journey.
Setting up her interior design business in what was traditionally considered a “man’s world” was no easy task, she admits. And yet she persevered. The result: her company — Done Interior — has now expanded beyond Kuwait’s borders, with the enterprising leader looking to further grow its reach.
“I started arranging and decorating my room from an early age. This laid the foundation that design was my dream. This dream and passion of designing places turned into a reality in 2004, when my aunt invited me to decorate her place. That’s where it all started and I have never turned back,” explains Bin Eidan.
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Green lights
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CHASING THE AMERCIAN DREAM
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Signed, sealed, delivered
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UP, UP AND AWAY
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