A Quiet Revolution? The Rise of Women Managers, Business Owners and Leaders in the Arabian Gulf States by Nick Forster (review)

A Quiet Revolution? is a great book for researchers, professionals and students of Middle East economy, policy, culture, and society. The book starts with a brief description of the "golden age" of Arab civilization and takes us forward to the present, which the author labels as a bleak contrast given the economic, political, and social challenges facing the countries in the Middle East and North Africa today. It touches on the impact of the Arab Spring and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the region. Author Nick Forster does a competent job going through the different historical epochs of the region and the impact of the various colonial powers on the cultural, economic, and political development of Middle Eastern and North African countries. On the one hand, the author's attempt to connect the concept of women's empowerment and this historical overview was satisfying. On the other hand, connecting the dots between Islamic doctrines and the right to women's empowerment in the region was a bit unclear.

The author refers to the phenomenon taking place in three Gulf states—the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Oman—as an irreversible transformation in the lives of university-educated professional women in those countries. I cannot agree more. I was one of the founding educational faculty/ administrators of the American University of Sharjah in 1998, and lived in the UAE from then until 2010. During that period, I witnessed the various waves of this irreversible transformation in the region. Forster's coverage of that phenomenon is deep and relevant. The book also outlines the fundamental role women are playing and the value they could add if afforded the opportunity to do more for their economies/countries.

The way the book is organized will be helpful, especially to general readers. Each chapter starts with a brief history of the country under discussion, describing its political, social, structural, and cultural challenges. The chapters then describe women's roles in the given country, furnishing specific examples of women who broke the traditional mold.

The one shortcoming of this book is that the author, at times, appears to paint all countries of the Middle East and North Africa with the same broad brush. The book vividly and accurately depicts developments underway in the Cooperation Council for Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) countries; however, conditions in the countries of the Levant or North Africa are quite different and should be acknowledged as such. For example, Forster talks about the lack of transparency of the procurement systems in the public sector. However, this critique is not uniformly valid across the region. More than 20 years ago, the government of Dubai mandated the move to electronic procurement, requiring all public-sector entities to use Tejari, a vertical portal, for all their purchases.

In Chapters 8 and 9, Forster summarizes his findings in a very cogent, easily accessible manner. In addition, he provides a set of recommendations for the region, centered around diversifying their economic bases and moving away from dependence on oil. Again, these recommendations are more applicable to the GCC countries and parts of the Maghrib than to other countries in the region.

As the author indicates, citing many reports and empirical studies, the diversification of the economies of the countries in the region cannot happen unless women become active participants in their labor markets in the near future. This might well happen sooner than many expect. While it took three generations for female emancipation and empowerment to bear fruit in the West, if one looks at the historic transformation of societies, this should be easier and faster for women in the Middle East and North Africa, as with the passage of time, the learning curve becomes less steep.

Forster also argues that while there are many legal, ethical, and moral reasons for doing more to empower women...