QWEA: A Better Future for Female Engineers
In recent decades, Qatari women have made remarkable strides in breaking barriers across diverse industries, asserting their strong influence in driving the nation’s economic progress. Through their dedication, they have attained prominent roles on both the domestic and international stages. This achievement is far from coincidental; it stands as a testament to the visionary leadership of Qatar, which has tirelessly supported the cause of women empowerment and supported women across various spheres. This approach has been instrumental in safeguarding their rights, showcasing their societal roles, and recognizing their invaluable contributions to Qatar’s economy, society, and politics.
This transformation resulted from equitable educational opportunities for women and gender equality within workplaces, together bringing about a profound change. Official statistics from recent years demonstrate the remarkable increase in the percentage of women graduates from Qatar’s institutions of higher education, with figures approaching an impressive 70 percent. Women’s presence in the nation’s workforce now approaches parity, representing nearly half of the total workforce.
While Qatari women have reached significant milestones, they continue to face certain challenges on their path to success. Despite the presence of numerous accomplished female role models across different fields, some careers remain shrouded in societal misconceptions, deeming them unsuitable for women. These misconceptions persist, including the misguided belief that married women cannot effectively balance professional roles with their responsibilities as mothers, or that their professional performance would lag behind that of their male counterparts for various reasons. Furthermore, some people still doubt women’s capacity to juggle demanding professional commitments with family responsibilities, particularly if promoted to higher positions with increased responsibilities.
Engineering, a field traditionally dominated by men, is one of the fields where Qatari women continue to encounter challenges. This is despite engineering being one of the most accessible fields for female students to pursue in Qatar. For instance, females comprise half of the enrolled students at Texas A&M University at Qatar, which offers undergraduate programs in petroleum, mechanical، electrical، and chemical engineering. This percentage surpasses many counterparts in major countries around the world. Since its establishment in Qatar, the university has graduated over 1,400 engineers, with 43 percent being women, half of whom are Qatari nationals.
One of these graduates is Engineer Abeer Abuhelaiqa, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering with a focus on Petroleum Reservoirs in 2011. Abeer currently holds the position of corporate petroleum reserves and resources coordinator at Qatar Energy where she began her career directly after graduation, embarking on a successful career journey.
Abeer’s path was by no means easy, as she faced numerous challenges at the outset of her career. Many perceived the oil and gas sector as exclusively suited for men due to factors such as demanding working conditions and the need to visit remote work sites. However, our young engineer stood her ground against these challenges, determined to achieve success. Today, she stands as one of Qatar’s leading experts in operations, optimization, reserves, and resources coordination.
The Beginning
Eng. Abeer had always hoped that her experiences would benefit female students, building their self-confidence and enabling them to pursue engineering and excel in it, regardless of challenges. In 2018, she joined Hamad Bin Khalifa University to pursue a Master of Arts in Women, Society, and Development, offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She decided to focus her thesis on finding solutions to bridge the gap in women’s presence in leadership positions.
During a meeting with Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, Her Excellency proposed the idea of establishing an association that would unite all female engineers in the country across various disciplines. This vision aimed to create a unified voice and a supportive environment for female engineers in Qatar.
From that moment, Eng. Abeer worked diligently to achieve this goal and initiated the establishment of a association for female engineers in Qatar. The initial steps included meeting with Dr. Hanan Farhat, Founder and Director of the National Corrosion Center at Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), a pioneering engineer in the field of corrosion engineering. Her rich experience and extensive knowledge served as inspiration for many young female engineers in Qatar.
Despite numerous challenges, the Qatar Women Engineers Association (QWEA) was officially established under the umbrella of the Qatar Society of Engineers. The announcement, however, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until it was marked by a virtual launch event in September 2020.
The rising association was named “QWEA,” an acronym that means “Strong” in the Arabic language. The members believed this name perfectly captured their mission to empower female engineers, inspiring them to overcome challenges during their academic and career journeys, and achieve success.
Diligent Efforts
The vision of QWEA centers on encouraging students to study engineering and choose it as a career path. This is achieved through various programs and activities, including school visits where QWEA engineers conduct discussion sessions. During these sessions, they introduce students to the field of engineering, shedding light on its diverse specializations by sharing their successful professional experiences.
According to Eng. Abeer, “The best way to inspire students is by providing them with role models to emulate. QWEA’s school visits offer that opportunity, motivating students to explore engineering disciplines and pursue similar paths. We also organize career camps to acquaint them with various engineering specializations and collaborate with local institutions to reach as many children and youth as possible.”
One of the prominent institutions that collaborated with the QWEA is the Qatar Scientific Club. Both parties signed a cooperation agreement, allowing committee engineers to assist in operating laboratories at the club. QWEA is also committed to participating in various professional exhibitions and conferences related to education and engineering. Furthermore, QWEA engage in national events to raise awareness about the vital role of female engineers and their contributions to the national economy, simultaneously highlighting QWEA’s efforts.
The committee also focuses on female engineers and engineering university students through guidance programs, training, and workshops. These initiatives help them tackle workplace discrimination, develop skills like adaptability and resilience in the face of challenges, and nurture leadership skills to become leaders in their fields. Additionally, QWEA honors successful female engineers in Qatar, highlighting their remarkable achievements.
Promising Future
Currently chaired by Engineer Zeinab Al Khayyat, and vice-chaired by Eng. Abeer, QWEA now has a membership council and numerous subcommittees, all led by young female engineers. The committee’s membership has grown to encompass over 200 engineers, both Qatari and non-Qatari. Among them are engineers representing various engineering disciplines, as well as students from engineering colleges.
Regarding the reasons for QWEA’s success, Eng. Abeer shares, “Our secret to success lies in teamwork and empowering every member to be a leader and take on responsibility. Despite most of the engineers being volunteers and working full-time jobs, their enthusiasm and dedication never wane. They genuinely aspire to bring about substantial positive change for all Qatari female engineers.”
She adds, “Certainly, QWEA’s achievements would not have been possible without the support of the Qatar Society of Engineers, Qatar Foundation’s Education City, and other educational institutions in the country. I cannot forget the tremendous support we received from Dr. Amal Al Malki, the Founding Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University.”
In less than three years, QWEA has successfully instigated real change in the lives of numerous young female students and engineers. It has demonstrated the significance of such initiatives in advancing women’s careers and enhancing their societal roles. However, all these accomplishments are just the beginning, as highlighted by Abuhelaiqa: “When we started working on establishing the committee, we couldn’t have imagined achieving all this within such a short period. This gave us more opportunities to collaborate with local institutions, and we are already receiving multiple requests for cooperation on joint projects that benefit society. We also take pride in the fact that the association’s achievements have resonated greatly in the Gulf region. Engineers from other countries have reached out to us, some representing associations seeking ways to collaborate, while others aim to establish similar associations in their own countries. There are still many aspirations ahead of us that we are striving to achieve!”
