A dreadfully belated heads-up on a fabulous initiative launched by the folks at Bayt earlier this month.

FemEO provides an online community for professional women in the Middle East region and combines quizzes, articles and advice for all aspects of working – and personal – life.

From Manal Al-Sharif‘s crusade against the insane ban on female drivers in Saudi Arabia to finding a job that boosts positivity, it provides a wide-ranging network to connect, or just browse.

I am aware that this appears very promotional (sweeping hand-gestures and arched eyebrows galore), but it is rather splendid.

As women we confront obstacles in many aspects of our lives: be they socio-cultural, religious or professional (cf.: Ragui Assad’s study, Obstacles to Female Employment in the MENA: and Ways to Overcome Them); the beauty of the cyber-sphere lies in the facilitation of connection.

FemEO promotes solidarity: and in restless times, unity is needed to making lasting change in the realm of gender equality.

And one more network can only be a positive development