Big win for women in the UAE: gender parity gains momentum
According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, the UAE has climbed from 74th to 69th in global rankings, cementing its place as the regional leader in gender parity.
In fact, it's the highest-ranking country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and that's just the beginning. The UAE also achieved full gender parity in parliamentary representation, joining the ranks of Mexico, Nicaragua, and Rwanda.
The country is leading the way in political empowerment across the region, earning a score of 37.2% and ranking 32nd globally in that sub-index.
But the momentum doesn't stop at politics. In a global climate where the number of women hired into leadership roles has dropped over the past year, the UAE is going against the grain. LinkedIn's Economic Graph data included in the WEF report shows a 4.5 per cent year-on-year increase in women stepping into leadership roles in the Emirates.
Even broader workforce participation is trending up, with overall female hiring seeing a 2 per cent annual growth.
The data also revealed a strong edge for women in the UAE when it comes to career readiness. They're up to 28% more likely than men to have multi-domain professional experience, giving them a well-rounded skill set that's perfect for the evolving demands of the AI era.
And when it comes to adapting to tech? Female professionals in the UAE are slightly more likely to focus on learning new skills and show more confidence in using AI than their male counterparts.
So yes, the global road to gender parity may be long, but the UAE is proving it's ready to lead the way.
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Big win for women in the UAE: gender parity gains momentum
According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, the UAE has climbed from 74th to 69th in global rankings, cementing its place as the regional leader in gender parity. In fact, it's the highest-ranking country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and that's just the beginning. The UAE also achieved full gender parity in parliamentary representation, joining the ranks of Mexico, Nicaragua, and Rwanda. The country is leading the way in political empowerment across the region, earning a score of 37.2% and ranking 32nd globally in that sub-index. But the momentum doesn't stop at politics. In a global climate where the number of women hired into leadership roles has dropped over the past year, the UAE is going against the grain. LinkedIn's Economic Graph data included in the WEF report shows a 4.5 per cent year-on-year increase in women stepping into leadership roles in the Emirates. Even broader workforce participation is trending up, with overall female hiring seeing a 2 per cent annual growth. The data also revealed a strong edge for women in the UAE when it comes to career readiness. They're up to 28% more likely than men to have multi-domain professional experience, giving them a well-rounded skill set that's perfect for the evolving demands of the AI era. And when it comes to adapting to tech? Female professionals in the UAE are slightly more likely to focus on learning new skills and show more confidence in using AI than their male counterparts. So yes, the global road to gender parity may be long, but the UAE is proving it's ready to lead the way. Image: Archive > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
The National
2 days ago
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Global gender gap narrows, but full equality 'still 123 years away'
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