Women’s Empowerment in Bahrain

In Bahrain, the role of women can be determined by examining their activities in all sectors of society. Traditions and laws primarily hold women back from their full participation in the economy and politics of the nation. Discrimination that has carried forward into the constitution of the land was caused by adherence to historical remnants of a society that does not really exist anymore. This study presents the social, economic, and political reality of Bahraini women in light of applicable legislation, and the barriers women face in achieving equality. The objective is to examine these realities within the context of Bahraini traditions, cultural norms and expectations, legislation, and the political process. The outcomes include the identification of specific barriers and some possible ways forward in the social experiment that has begun in Bahrain of equality and empowerment for women

Public Health Policy on the COVID-19 Pandemic and its Impact on the Behavior Patterns of Families

This study examined the public health measures adopted by the Jordanian government that contributed to stemming the spread of the pandemic and the impact of these measures on the behavior patterns of families. Content analysis was used with 117 news briefs, and interviews were conducted with 20 families identified through snowball sampling. Ecological systems theory and a public health model are used to frame our understanding of the results. We found themes from interviews that included a shift to online education, use of social media, changes in consumer behavior, and social initiatives

Disability as an Inspiration: Rich Experiences of Women with Disabilities in the UAE

The goal of this article was to have Emirati women with disabilities speak out to share their experiences and successes in struggling with disabilities. Fifteen Emirati women with disabilities were selected from a snowball sample to be interviewed. The resulting data is qualitative. The study revealed several important factors that facilitated the full participation of these Emirati women in domestic and professional life. The study and its findings will help society (its structures, institutions, and the individuals working within them) to better address the needs of Emirati women with disabilities. The researchers of this study are not aware of any previous study that highlights the struggles and successes of Emirati women with disabilities in the fullness of their shared narratives

The Voices of the Divorced: Reasons for Early Divorce among Emiratis in Abu Dhabi

There has been a growing interest, especially among Emirati organizations concerned with family development, in the rising rates of early divorce in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The purpose of this research is to identify the reasons for early divorce among Emiratis. The authors selected 2,162 Emirati early divorcees who were registered with the Family Development Foundation (FDF) in Abu Dhabi and who received services from the (FDF) between 2012 and 2018. Among those, 200 divorcees agreed to participate in this study. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS. Results found that the most common reasons for early divorce were the lack of marital relations, partners’ bad behavior, and domestic violence. Other reasons frequently quoted by the participants included the partner’s personality type, health issues, and the partner’s physical appearance. Findings will offer useful guidelines to the policymakers, service providers, social workers, and experts to improve the national-level family support interventions to prevent early divorce

Empowering Saudi Women with Disabilities According to Saudi Vision 2030: An Analytical Study

The study aims to identify the efforts exerted to empower Saudi women with disabilities in the economic, social, educational, and healthcare sectors within the framework of Saudi Arabias Vision 2030. The research adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology, presenting a comprehensive review and analysis of studies, reports, and goals of the general and specific vision of the KSA that are related to the empowerment of Saudi women with disabilities. One of the most important findings of the study is that there is a significant interest in the target population in the economic sector. Available data indicate an increase in the representation of persons with disabilities in the labour market from 7.70% in 2017 to 12% at the end of 2020. Moreover, the study found that the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development plays a significant role in the social empowerment of women with disabilities. However, this does not negate the fact that there are many obstacles to the empowerment of Saudi women. The study recommends that more efforts should be exerted to increase the opportunities available to Saudi women with disabilities to expand their participation in the economic, social, cultural, educational, and healthcare fields

Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War on Education and International Students

This study examines the effect of the Ukraine crisis on the national and international economy, which is intrinsically tied to education, research, and science. As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country’s economy plummeted sharply. This displaced many local and international students, teachers, and educators at Ukrainian universities, schools, and institutes, including girls and women. In this paper, we have highlighted the global effort to sustain higher education and accommodate displaced students. We have adopted an exploratory, descriptive analysis of media coverage of the Russia-Ukraine War and other statistical studies and articles generally addressing the impact of the Ukraine crisis on the economy, particularly education, research, and science. Results suggest that immediate and continuous support for Ukrainians and international students is viewed as a necessity tightly linked to the national economy and the global economy

The Perspectives of Recovered Drug Addicts on the Causes of Addictions and the Stigma Surrounding Addicts in the UAE

This study aims to identify the causes of drug use and the forms of social stigma surrounding drug addiction from the point of view of recovered drug addicts. Adopting a descriptive approach, the researchers based their conclusions on the results of a questionnaire that was responded to by 200 recovered drug addicts who have attended rehabilitation centres in the Sharjah. The study revealed that that main reasons for drug use were peer influence, followed by curiosity and the desire to experiment with drugs. Meanwhile, the majority of the respondents (approximately 44.0%) reported that they first used drugs due to peer influence. It also found that the highest percentage of participants had a drug use duration of more than two years, accounting for approximately 41.5%. Furthermore, the most commonly used substance among the participants was Lyrica with a rate of approximately 36.5%, followed by Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, with a rate of approximately 21.0%, and cannabis or hashish (approximately 14.5%). Our findings indicate that friends were the primary individuals who stigmatized individuals in recovery, accounting for approximately 38.5%, while spouses represented the group that stigmatized the target population the least with a rate of approximately 1.5%. In addition, we found that the most common forms of social stigma experienced by individuals in recovery from drug use and their families in the UAE were: damaged reputation, continuous social discrimination, family embarrassment due to the presence of a recovered addict in the family, being reluctantly introduced to other members of society in certain situations, lacking communication with neighbours, and that members of the community are often unwilling to marry someone from the recovered individual’s family

Marital Compatibility in the UAE Society among a Sample of Households in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (UAE)

This study aimed to assess the levels of marital compatibility among 500 Emirati married couples in Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates and identify the various factors that impact marital compatibility. Participants responded to the Marital Compatibility Scale which focuses on five main areas: the personal, structural/family, psychological/emotional, cultural/educational/ethical/social, and financial compatibility. The data were collected by a specially selected team from Family Development Foundation – Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Statistics Centre employees as it is the only entity officially authorized to collect such data and analyzed using SPSS. The findings of the study indicate that factors related to the cultural, educational, ethical, and cultural compatibility and those related to personal compatibility have the most significant impact on marital relations. In particular, the educational level of the husband, the husband’s income, and whether the couples were related or lived in the same neighbourhood impact the level of marital compatibility

Factors Associated With Highest Symptoms of Anxiety During COVID-19: Cross-Cultural Study of 23 Countries

The COVID-19 restrictions have impacted people's lifestyles in all spheres (social, psychological, political, economic, and others). This study explored which factors affected the level of anxiety during the time of the first wave of COVID-19 and subsequent quarantine in a substantial proportion of 23 countries, included in this study. The data was collected from May to August 2020 (5 June 2020). The sample included 15,375 participants from 23 countries: (seven from Europe: Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia; 11 from West, South and Southeast Asia: Armenia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey; two African: Nigeria and Tanzania; and three from North, South, and Central America: Brazil, Canada, United States). Level of anxiety was measured by means of the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the 20-item first part of The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)-State Anxiety Inventory (SAI). Respondents were also asked about their personal experiences with COVID-19, attitudes toward measures introduced by governments, changes in attitudes toward migrants during a pandemic, family income, isolation conditions, etc. The factor analysis revealed that four factors explained 45.08% of variance in increase of anxiety, and these components were interpreted as follows: (1) personal awareness of the threat of COVID-19, (2) personal reaction toward officially undertaken measures and attitudes to foreigners, (3) personal trust in official sources, (4) personal experience with COVID-19. Three out of four factors demonstrated strong associations with both scales of anxiety: high level of anxiety was significantly correlated with high level of personal awareness of the threat of COVID-19, low level of personal reaction toward officially undertaken measures and attitudes to foreigners, and high level of presence of personal experience with COVID-19. Our study revealed significant main effects of sex, country, and all four factors on the level of anxiety. It was demonstrated that countries with higher levels of anxiety assessed the real danger of a pandemic as higher, and had more personal experience with COVID-19. Respondents who trusted the government demonstrated lower levels of anxiety. Finally, foreigners were perceived as the cause of epidemic spread