Facts

Literacy rate of women in the UAE is 95.8%.
The UAE has focused on educating both men and women. In 1975, the rate of adult literacy was 54 percent among men and 31 percent among women. Today, literacy rates for both genders are close to 95 percent.
At two of the nation’s three federal institutions of higher learning, women comprise between 80 and 90 per cent of the student population.
95% of female high-school graduates pursue further education at tertiary-level institutions, compared with 80 per cent of males.
Women constitute almost two-thirds of students attending government universities and over half at private tertiary-level institutions
77% of Emirati women enroll in higher education in secondary school and make up 70% of all university graduates.
More than 10,000 students of the Higher Colleges of Technology are women.
56% of the UAE’s graduates in STEM courses at government universities are women
At the prestigious Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, 60 per cent of Emirati graduate students are female

In April 2018, the UAE Cabinet endorsed a bill for the first legislation that ensures equal pay for men and women.
The UAE is the first country in the Arab region and to introduce a . (Listed companies and Government Organizations)
As per a directive by HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, Emirati women must occupy 50 % of the Federal National Council’s (Parliament) seats, 20 seats for men and 20 for women.
Since November 2016, the maternity leave has been extended from 2 months to 3 months paid maternity leave.
In 2019, The UAE Central Bank passed a circular to all the banks and other financial institutions stating that they are required to provide services to their individual and business owner customers, from both genders, equally.
In 2019 the UAE government issued a Federal Decree to ensure equality in the representation of both genders in the judiciary sector.
Established in 2015, the UAE is the first country in the GCC to establish a federal level entity – the UAE Gender Balance Council – dedicated to reducing the gender gap and enhancing UAE’s global ranking in regards to the gender balance agenda.

Today women age 15 and over constitute 45.7% of the labor force (World Bank, 2020)
Women make up 66% of the public sector workers, with 30% in leadership roles and 15% in technical and academic roles.
UAE women comprise over 40% of all employees in education, at least 35% work in the health sector and approximately 20% in social affairs.
About 75 per cent of positions in education and health sectors are occupied by women.
At the nine-year-old Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, women constitute 43% of its investors while the city’s Businesswomen’s association boasts 14,000 members.
15 Emirati women join the country’s first Women’s Firefighting Unit at the Sharjah Civil Defence in February 2018.

Women represent 56% of the graduates from STEM fields, while 44.5% of engineering undergraduates in the country are female - one of the highest globally.
In Strata, a UAE based high-tech aircraft maker company, Emirati women represent 86% of its national staff.
In Masdar, an energy company in the UAE, women hold more than 20% of the organization's leadership positions.
Emirati women represent about 20% of the nuclear sector.
Women represent 45% of the national space sector in UAE.

Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi was the first woman in the Arab world to be elected as speaker of a national council.
The UAE has 9 female ministers (out of 33), comprising 27.3% of ministerial roles, one of the highest in the region
1. Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy - Cabinet Member, Minister of State for International Cooperation
2. Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi - Cabinet Member, Minister of Culture and Youth
3. Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid - Cabinet Member, Minister of Community Development
4. Jameela bint Salem Al Muhairi - Cabinet Member, Minister of State for Public Education
5. Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi - Minister of State
6. Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi - Minister of State for Government Development and the Future
7. Shamma bint Sohail Faris AlMazrui - Minister of State for Youth
8. Maryam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Mehairi - Cabinet Member and Minister of Climate Change and Environment
9. Sara bint Yousuf Al Amiri - Minister of State for Advanced Technology
In December 2006, the first ever elections for the Federal National Council (FNC) awarded women with the right to vote and run as candidates.

Under the leadership of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the General Women's Union (GWU) has been tirelessly supporting women since its formation in 1975.
Dubai Women Establishment, led by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the first government entity in the UAE that supports and focuses on women in the workforce.

Women make up 30% of the diplomatic corps, where they occupy 234 positions, 42 working on missions abroad, and 9 being ambassadors.
The UAE has started appointing women as ambassadors ever since 2009. Up-to-date the UAE has 9 female ambassadors.
1. Fatima Khamis Al Mazrouei , UAE Ambassador to Denmark
2. Dr. Hessa Abdullah Al Otaiba , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Netherlands
3. Hanan Al Alili , UAE Ambassador to Latvia
4. Nabila Al Shamsi , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Montenegro
5. Hafsa Al Ulama , UAE Ambassador to Germany
6. Hend Manea Saeed Al Otaiba , UAE Ambassador to France
7. Dr. Eman Ahmed Al Salami , UAE Ambassador to Poland
8. Noora Mohammed Juma , UAE Ambassador to Finland
9. Lana Nusseibeh , UAE Permanent Representative to the UN

UAE ranks 18 in Gender Inequality Index in the 2020 UNDP Human Development Report

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