Do women in Bahrain face a “glass ceiling” in their careers?
Al-Belooshi: Definitely, there is a glass ceiling. For a long time, we have been talking about glass ceilings. Because of the reforms, women have begun to rise to decision-making positions. As a result of these reforms, we are very hopeful that we will be able to break through the glass ceiling. I think that time is needed for women to prove themselves and for decision-makers to promote women and to start believing in them. We now have the first woman to become a CEO of a bank. This is a great achievement. It is also a woman who heads the Supreme Council for Women and she has the rank of a minister. We have the first woman to be president of Bahrain’s national university. Those are great achievements for women. We think that with time, women will prove themselves and will fill many more high positions. WF: Is Bahrain providing guidance to other Arab countries interested in implementing reforms to empower women? Al-Belooshi: In the 1950’s, Bahrain established its first organizations rel
