Married Emirati Students Pursuing Teaching Careers from the Perspective of their Spouses

Abstract

Women’s enrollment in higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has increased dramatically over the years. In this paradigm of change, gender role delineation and the repercussion this has on values, thinking and priorities in life can be problematic but has been neglected in terms of research. One of the aims of the research study was to find out how spouses of female Emirati students enrolled in a Bachelor of Education teaching degree perceived the challenges their wives faced while undertaking tertiary level studies and the types of support they needed to succeed. Individual interviews with spouses were conducted and the themes discussed in this paper pertain to spouses’ perception of teaching as a career for women, challenges their wives faced while undertaking higher education, and support factors contributing to degree attainment within the socio-cultural context of the UAE.