The UAE empowers women to do all kinds of jobs

The UAE government is empowering women by allowing them to do all kinds of different jobs. In recent years, the UAE has enacted a number of laws regarding important women's rights reforms: including provisions against discrimination and harassment, a new labor law that introduced equal pay, and extended maternity leave.

Article 4 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, which regulates labor relations, stipulates equal pay for women performing work equal to that of men.

The new amendments further emphasize that working women have the right to work without discrimination.  Anti-discrimination provisions prohibit employers from hiring on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, or any disability that impairs or impedes equality of opportunity in the workplace.

In the UAE, the country's constitution guarantees equal rights for men and women.  Under the constitution, women are given the same legal status, claim to titles, access to education, right to work, and the right to inherit property as men.

Women are guaranteed equal access to employment, health, and family welfare facilities.  As a leader in equality in economics, government, education, and health, the UAE has been recognized as one of the pioneers in this field.

Demonstrating the country's progress in women's inclusion, justice, and security, the UAE ranked 24th out of 170 countries and the highest regionally in the 2021 WPS Index by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security.

Education is free for Emiratis in public schools, colleges, and universities.  The UAE government is focused on eliminating gender inequality in education and ensuring equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for vulnerable people, including women and the disabled.

Literacy rates for both men and women in the UAE are close to 95 percent. Today, more women complete secondary education and enroll in universities and post-graduate institutions than men. 77 percent of Emirati women enroll in higher education after secondary school, and they account for 70 percent of all university graduates in the UAE.

As of 2015, women held 66 percent of public sector jobs: one of the highest proportions worldwide. 30 percent hold senior leadership positions associated with decision-making roles.

Over the years, the UAE has implemented several schemes for the economic empowerment of women in the country.  In December 2012, the government issued a decision regarding the mandatory membership of Emirati women on the boards of directors of federal bodies, companies, and institutions.

Women in the UAE are also actively participating in various roles in the private sector. They have equal rights to economic resources, including guaranteed equal pay – as well as access to ownership and control of land, other property, financial services, inheritance, and natural resources in accordance with national laws. 9 of the ministers in the UAE government are women.

Women ministers handle new portfolios such as tolerance, happiness, youth, and food and water security. 50 percent of the UAE's consultative parliamentary body, the Federal National Council (FNC), is female. According to the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020, the UAE ranks first in the Women's Parliamentary Representation Index and 

42.5 percent of the diplomatic corps are women.