Women in industry

Watching a program on women in industry, produced by AlJeezera in Doha where they are holding a conference, I was struck by a number of things. In this male dominated environment the participants were women who were at the top of their game and had something meaningful to say. The interviewer, a man was exemplary in his measured questioning, he knew his subject but his job was to get the panellists to talk. How often on our TV,  the person asking the questions sees themselves as the star of the show with an agenda usually to trip up the person answering the question rather than listening to what they have to say. The tone of the show was collaborative and whilst tricky questions were put there was never a sense of the bulling or the grandstanding we see so much on our television. 

Given the setting in an Arab country and given the topic it was refreshing to witness a proper conversation. The audience were also interesting given the topic, "women in the work place". Many were dressed in conservative European style clothes, many wore the head scarf, the hijab, but not obtrusively and a few had on the full burka with only a slit for the eyes.
What a contrast in their understanding of acceptability and under lying this, what a contrast in their potential lifestyle. Beneath the burka was an intelligent person who for religious reasons was prepared to subvert herself from the gaze of men as if in doing so she could be more true to herself away from the acquisitive eye of the male. The conversation, as it rounded on a women's equal position in the workplace must counter pose the traditional hierarchical of men and women in the Middle East and present quite a topic around the dinner table.