DOHA: The number of Qatari women working as lawyers in the country has tremendously increased in the past years, according to a recent report.
Qatari women working as lawyers represented about 85 percent of total females working as lawyers and 14.2 percent of total lawyers in 2012, according to a report ‘Qatar-Social Statistics 2003-2012’ released recently by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics.
All Qatari female graduates from the law schools have joined as trainees. They represent 12.5 percent of the total Qatari trainee lawyers in 2012.
Also Qatari women represented 3.7 of total public prosecutors. Some qualified Qatari women lawyers are working for different departments at the Ministry of Interior. Statistics also revealed that Qatari women participation in economic activities has increased from 3.6 percent in 2001 to 9.1 in 2012.
The proportion of female directors in private sector increased from 9.9 percent in 2008 to 13.4 percent in 2012. Women employees in government corporations and institutions increased, from 11.8 percent in 2008 to 28 percent in 2012. However, number of women in government administration dropped from 19.2 percent in 2008 to 13 percent in 2012.
Meanwhile, the Qatari female voters made up 77.4 percent of total registered, whereas Qatari males constituted 88.5 percent in the first central municipal council elections in 1999.
But this percentage of voters, declined remarkably at the fourth session of 2011, to 37.7 percent of Qatari females and 45.5 percent of Qatari males. Women entered successfully the Central Municipal Council for the first time in the second session in 2003.
However the women candidature in the municipal elections increased from 2 percent in 1999 to 4 percent in 2011.
The total number of Qatari voters increased to 33,000 voters in 2011. Among these, 50 percent were females and 50 percent males. There were 101 Qataris and four were women who presented their candidature for the elections. One female succeeded to get elected and became a member of the Central Municipal Council, representing 3.4 percent.
The importance of women’s participation in political life, epitomised by the increase in the percentage of female voters in 2011 compared to 1999, is to fully achieve the third goal, which lists the empowerment of women as one of its items, according to the report.
The Peninsula
