'Emirati women are strong': Senior citizens recall their vital role in supporting men

Long before Emirati women became leaders in workplaces, government offices and businesses, they were already playing a vital role in supporting their families and communities, sharing the responsibilities of daily life with men and helping sustain households through challenging times, two senior Emirati citizens have recalled.

Based on their own experiences and memories of earlier generations, Emirati senior citizens Maryam Saeed, a member of the Shamal Arts, Heritage and Theatre Association and a volunteer with several organisations, and Aisha Hamoud Rashid Al Ghafri, from the Emirates Association for Parent’s Welfare and Honor, said Emirati women had long been the “support” of men, whether at home or contributing directly to the family’s livelihood.

Their reflections came during the Emirati Women’s Day event “The Mark She Makes”, hosted by the Al Qasimi Foundation in collaboration with Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah Resort, where women’s contributions across generations were highlighted.

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'Mother, educator, first and last supporter'

Maryam, who grew up in both coastal and agricultural environments, recalled how women carried significant responsibilities while men were often away for work, including pearl diving or traveling in search of employment.

“They were the mother, the educator and the first and last support,” she said.

At home, women cared for children, prepared food and managed large households. But their responsibilities did not stop there. Maryam recalled watching her mother care for livestock, churn dairy products, fetch water and wash clothes, alongside the many tasks that began early in the morning and continued throughout the day.

Women also contributed to traditional crafts and livelihoods, spinning wool, making woven items, preparing bedding and helping build traditional homes. In agricultural and mountain communities, they looked after livestock, palm trees and other resources.For her, the experience reflected a wider reality in which women were not simply managing the home but helping keep the family’s livelihood going.

Maryam said she began helping her father with livestock from a young age. By nine, she had learned how to milk a cow, a skill she said she continues to practice while caring for livestock inherited from her mother.

For her, the experience reflected a wider reality in which women were not simply managing the home but helping keep the family’s livelihood going.

Aisha Hamoud Rashid Al Ghafri echoed that experience, recalling growing up around farms and date-palm plantations.

“When the men were away looking for work, whether diving or traveling to places such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, women had responsibilities at home and on the farm,” she said.

During the date harvest, women helped collect, clean, wash and prepare dates, while also taking part in the wider work needed to maintain the family’s palm plantation.

Al Ghafri recalled accompanying her mother to the family’s palm grove as a child. After marriage, she continued the same way of life with her husband’s family, working alongside them on their farm and plantation.

“I was with them, my husband and his family. I worked alongside them, cutting grass, working with the crops, and doing everything with them.

The family grew crops including tomatoes, onions and peppers, which were harvested and taken to market, with women also helping prepare the produce for sale.

Al Ghafri said women's responsibilities extended far beyond cooking and cleaning.

“There was no rest. Cleaning the house was our responsibility, cooking was our responsibility, and raising the children was our responsibility. We also had work in the palm trees,” she recalled.

Women would sometimes take young children with them to the fields or palm plantations, using simple cloth slings to keep babies close while they watered crops, carried water or completed other tasks.

“The woman in those days raised everything. She worked in the farms and looked after the animals,” Al Ghafri said.

The home itself was also a place of production. Women prepared meals using locally available ingredients and cooked on traditional tannour ovens, cylindrical ovens made of clay or stone, traditionally used for baking flatbreads and roasting meat. They also made and repaired clothes and produced crafts from palm fronds and wool. Palm-leaf mats, for example, were made by hand and used in homes and during prayer.

Both women said those experiences shaped values of resilience, responsibility and self-reliance that remain relevant today.

Maryam has carried that legacy into her work with younger generations, teaching students traditional games, crafts and customs and encouraging them to participate in heritage competitions.

She described herself as a “trainer of generations”, noting that some of the children she taught years ago now have children of their own.

Al Ghafri, meanwhile, stressed that modern education, careers and business opportunities should go hand in hand with preserving Emirati identity.

“Emirati women are strong, and they love to learn. They want to learn from the past and the present,” she said.

For both Maryam and Aisha, remembering the past is not about looking backward, but recognizing the foundations on which today’s opportunities were built , and ensuring younger generations understand that Emirati women have long been active partners in their families, communities and society.

“If you do not teach your children, what will you pass on to them?” she said, stressing the importance of carrying Emirati identity and heritage forward while embracing education, modern opportunities and the wider world.

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