العربية
Oman supports Gender Equality through Oman Vision 2024
Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) aims to achieve gender equality and empower women. Oman has implemented initiatives to advance gender equality, including policies and programs that empower women across sectors such as education, business, and government. Oman recognises the vital role of women in national development and is committed to providing equal opportunities for women to contribute to the country's social and economic growth.
Arab SDG Index – Oman |
UNESCWA Gender Resources
Economic Participation: Oman is working to increase the ratio of female to male labour force participation.
Leadership and Decision-Making: The government is working to ensure women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life.
Education: Efforts are made to ensure equal educational opportunities for women and girls, including monitoring the ratio of female-to-male mean years of education.
Legal and Social Policies: The government is focused on ending discrimination and violence against women and implementing policies that support their rights and well-being.
Diversity and Equal Opportunity
Oman has established a Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to raise women’s empowerment and address barriers to their participation in society. Oman is committed to tapping the full potential of women.
Regarding economic empowerment, Oman has adopted policies to promote women’s participation in decision-making, ensuring that both men and women have been appointed to high office. Oman had also implemented several programmes to economically empower low-income women, women with disabilities and women inmates. (OHCHR Report 2024)
SDG5 at Sohar University
Women’s Empowerment through Education
Sohar University supports SDG5, Gender Equality, by empowering women through education, professional development, and a supportive academic environment. Sohar University is an institution that provides an inclusive environment where women can excel academically and professionally.
Equal access to Education: Sohar University provides equal access to education for all students, regardless of gender. Women outnumber men in degrees in traditionally male-dominated fields such as engineering, information technology, and business.
Scholarships and Financial Support: Sohar University offers scholarships that support female students. These scholarships, offered through the Student Support Fund, help young women to reach their educational and professional goals.
Women in Leadership: Sohar University supports women in leadership roles, including as Deans, Professors in academia, and as Directors and Managers in administration. The University provides professional development and mentorship opportunities for female staff to foster a more diverse and balanced team.
Women Empowerment Activities: The University hosts events throughout the year that focus on women, leadership and professional skills. These events often include a presentation by successful female leaders sharing their experiences. These activities provide an avenue for female students to recognise the importance of women's contributions to the success of all organisations and to aspire to pursue professional careers.
- Omani Women’s Day
- Women’s International Day
- Alumni Day
- Women’s Health Awareness
- Student Competitions
- Academic publications
- Female entrepreneurs
Women-specific Research and Entrepreneurship: Sohar University is engaged in research on women’s issues in Oman. The University has worked internationally with institutions in Malaysia, specifically on women’s entrepreneurship, to understand better how programs can support women’s success.
- SU-UMK joint research – Discovering the emergence of Green Business Intention among the Omani Graduate Women: Testing the Value Non-Belief Theory
- SU-UMK joint research – Exploring the Formation of Social Entrepreneurship Intention and Start-up behaviour among Young Women: Comparison of Oman and Malaysia
Diversity and Equality at SU
Sohar University approaches recruitment through a lens of diversity and equality, embedding this commitment in its formal policies and core institutional values. The University publicly states it is an "equal opportunity employer" that hires and promotes individuals based on their qualifications in accordance with Omani law, "without regard to race, colour, religion and gender."
SU’s Strategic Commitment to Diversity and Gender Equality
Sohar University is deeply committed to achieving gender equality and empowering all women, embedding this principle directly into our 2023-2028 Strategic Plan. Empowering women and ensuring equitable opportunities is essential for sustaining quality education and driving innovation.
Key elements of SU’s strategic plan demonstrate this commitment:
- Ensuring Equitable Employment: SU actively recruits and retains qualified, diverse staff, with a specific focus on equal opportunities for women at all academic and administrative levels.
- Celebrating Women's Achievements: The strategic element in the plan to "celebrate diversity among students" includes specific initiatives to highlight the achievements of female students, promote role models and ensure a safe and inclusive campus for all genders.
- Empowering Female Researchers: SU deploys a responsive mentorship program for researchers and dedicated support to foster the careers of female academics and help them advance into leadership roles.
- Recognising Achievement Equitably: SU applies a fair and transparent recognition system for research output, designed to eliminate gender bias and ensure the contributions of female researchers are valued and celebrated equally.
- International Workforce: The University recognises that diverse cultures, professional qualifications and accrued international expertise benefit all students, and provide female students with varied cultural reference points and role models
Core Value of the Strategic Plan
Inclusivity: “Work with stakeholders to achieve shared success in an inclusive environment that promotes and encourages a culture of respect for people and ideas”.
Framework for Equity and Inclusion
Sohar University has a formal framework that details its commitment to diversity and equity, as is reported in the Sohar University ESG Report 2024 , with the following sections:
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): A dedicated section outlines the University's strategic approach to building an inclusive workplace.
- Talent Management: This focuses not just on hiring but on developing and retaining a diverse workforce.
- Remuneration Equity: The University has a stated policy on ensuring fair and equitable pay, which is a key component of an equal opportunity framework.