Determination and asking of age is prohibited and discrimination in Europe in GCC and other Arab countries, what do you think?

Yes, this situation which is predominantly in Bahrain, the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, and here in Kuwait  with links cemented through marriage, identification or other social and political alliances. But also there are many economic, political and socio-cultural changes focusing on women’s rights and gender equality such as religious ,ethnic diversity and identity politics which have affected the situation of women in the Gulf region over the last decades.it notably sheds light on similarities and differences concerning women’s liberation in Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Gender discrimination is recently discussed both in law and in practice, focusing on women’s political and economic empowerment, education, migration, family and health as well as in Europe the most recent situation regarding the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) .

Actually, I have been asked my age in every interview I have had in the GCC. In Europe and in the United States, it is actually illegal to ask someone's age because then that runs the risk of causing age discrimination. A company can fall into legal battles over this if the person being interviewed complains about it. I have seen many job posts for the GCC that specify "must be between the age of 25 -30 years". It's actually quite discriminatory on so many levels.

In Europe under Employment Equality Legislation it is illegal to discriminate on a number of different grounds including, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientation etc.

The situation in the Middle East is not quite the same.  In the Middle East at interview stage, we can actually ask questions that we would be prohibited from asking in Europe.  For example, if it is not possible to obtain a visa for someone over a certain age, then we have a right to ask the candidate their age as it is for a specific purpose.  Similar when it comes to marital status and the number of children a candidate might have as this can impact on the overall salary package that could be offered.

In general, once these questions are handled with sensitivity and the purpose behind the questions explained in advance, it doesn't tend to be an issue.

Thank you for inviting answer ................. I support Ms. Ghada

Yes in Europe discrimination on age or even health is forbidden.

I agree with the answers relevant experts

I've learnt immensely from the contribution of the experts!

Thank you for your kind invitation and I agree with the answer Dr. Ghada

• Resource type: Country Q&A
• Status: Law stated as at 01-Nov-2015
• Jurisdiction: United Arab Emirates

A Q&A guide to employment and employee benefits law in the United Arab Emirates.

The Q&A gives a high level overview of the key practical issues including: employment status; background checks; permissions to work; contractual and implied terms of employment; minimum wages; restrictions on working time; illness and injury; rights of parents and carers; data protection; discrimination and harassment; dismissals; redundancies; taxation; employer and parent company liability; employee representation and consultation; consequence of business transfers; intellectual property; restraint of trade agreements and proposals for reform.

To compare answers across multiple jurisdictions, visit the Employment and Employee Benefits: Country Q&A tool.

The Q&A is part of the global guide to employment and employee benefits law. For a full list of jurisdictional Q&As visit www.practicallaw.com/employment-guide.

I completely agree with the answer six Ghada Thanks for the invite