Housing neighborhoods in the united Arab Emirates: Differences in perspectives between female and male professionals

Cities are growing and adapting to newer initiatives, increasing the efficiency of their built environment, and providing their citizens with a prosperous future. Several disciplines are particularly associated with the growth and development of cities, including urban planning, architecture, and engineering. Hence, it is inevitable that the future of cities and their citizens is determined by professionals in these disciplines. Amongst the key attributes of cities are housing neighborhoods which are a conglomeration of social, spatial, environmental, and economic factors aimed at accommodating and serving people. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), housing neighborhoods have various characteristics, inspired by local, regional, or global influences. This research aims to explore differences in opinions between female and male professionals on the UAE’s housing neighborhoods. The study targets professionals in the three disciplines of engineering, architecture, and urban planning, and it assesses a set of indicators across three stages of housing, including design, construction and operations and management. The hypothesis claims that there are differences in perspectives between female and male professionals, and data was collected through an online questionnaire with a snowball sample of working professionals in the UAE. Using MANOVA with gender as the independent variable, the research findings highlighted trends of varying perspectives between female and male professionals, particularly at the design stage. In this study, gender-based perceptions of professionals are examined in relation to housing neighborhoods in the UAE. A snowball sample of 64 professionals, including 37 females and 27 males were part of an online survey. 28 variables were generated corresponding to 6 key aspects of housing neighborhoods, including urban planning, landscape, interiors, social sustainability, economic sustainability, and environmental sustainability. Each of the 6 aspects is explored across 3 different stages, including design, construction, and operations and management. The analysis has shown that differences in gender perspectives are mostly present at the design stage, less likely at the construction stage, and almost non-existent at the operations and management stage. This study can be used to present a gender-based theoretical contribution to the discourse of design and construction, in addition to a practical set of factors that reflect the needs and expectations of female professional. The ultimate purpose of this research is to contribute towards more inclusive and sustainable urban environments, especially in the Arab-Gulf region.