Stop asking for empowerment…it has to come from within, maintains Hamdah Said Al Shamsi*, Acting General Manager of the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI), as she presents her perspective on gender equality.
A highly competent and strong woman, with a big heart and huge ambitions to force a difference wherever she goes, Hamdah elected to choose a career with USAID Mission in Oman when she returned came back from the USA after her graduation. Subsequently, she moved to the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI), where she is currently holding the position of General Manager. Her goal is to see PASI as the leading financial organisation in Oman by maximising the return on investment of its portfolio.
I am a strong believer of the saying that when you educate a woman you educate a nation. I do a lot of work with the Omani youth in general, especially with women, through my inspirational talks and workshops as well,”
Having a passion for books and a gifted writing skill, she started writing a weekly column in the business section of a local daily, more than 10 years ago. “My writing obsession led me to a path of continuous learning and discoveries,” maintains Hamdah, who has published five books to date and has hosted regular shows on the radio. She is also an active member of Toastmasters International; she started the first Toastmasters Chapter in Oman for Arabic speaking ladies.
She credits the men in her life as her source of inspiration. Being the only girl among her male siblings, she recalls saying ‘I am just a girl’ when she was still little. Her father admonished her never to say those words again, pointing out her capabilities to do anything that a boy could do. He encouraged her to be a strong and independent woman, and so did others.
“I also have an amazing man as a husband, who has always been encouraging and inspiring. Besides, my brothers make me feel every day that I am one of the luckiest woman on this planet; I lead an extraordinary life with them all by my side,” states Hamdah.
She strongly believes that women are capable of being and doing more than what they think, provided they have the confidence. But as for empowerment, her advice is to stop asking for empowerment, as it has to come from within. To elucidate it further, she quotes Ken Blanchard who said, ‘Empowerment is what other give to you; self- leadership is what you can do with this empowerment.’
Gender Equality
“I personally do not believe in gender equality; I feel it is a trap to make us someone that we are not. It degrades us as women. A man is not capable of reaching that level to make him equal to me. I don’t’ need equality, I need acknowledgment of me as a unique human being who should be accepted just the way I am. What we need is not equality, but a gender balance and tolerance, whereby both genders balance the strengths and weaknesses of each other,” states Hamdah Said Al Shamsi.
Talking about Gender Equality as a global concern, she notes that women are still fighting for their rights in advanced counties. However, she maintains that the issue of gender equality in Oman is more about implementing it, as the same is provided in the country’s legislation. “We only need to look at the employment numbers to measure the equality in Oman, and that is not sufficient. We are among the very few countries in the world that got their rights without even asking for it. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said made it a point to give women equal rights as men in education, employment, voting and so forth, from day one. We need to take this advantage as Omani women to work on building competences that will make us excel at work. Take every training and development opportunity provided by the employers and try to stick long enough to advance in the career ladders.”
“Be proud of your womanhood; give up the idea that you have to act like a man to succeed. You are strong and capable because you are a woman,” advices Hamdah.
Hamdah Said Al Shamsi represents the Sultanate of Oman in the Bureau of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) as the Chairperson of the Technical Committee of Old Age, Survivors and Disabilities
