Feature: Rewriting norms -- Emirati women thrive in traditionally male domains

The Star

17 hours ago

DUBAI, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Amid the roaring hum of towering cranes at Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, Emirati engineer Hind Al-Kaabi skillfully directs a series of precise maneuvers to load enormous containers onto a cargo ship heading to South Asia.
In a professional setting long dominated by men in the country, Al-Kaabi distinguishes herself as one of many Emirati women challenging traditional gender roles.
"When I started working here five years ago, most of my colleagues were men," said Al-Kaabi, now a senior operations supervisor in the automation department at DP World, a multinational logistics company based in Dubai.
"Today, we have a fully Emirati women's team managing smart crane systems and even developing algorithms to optimize shipping operations," she added proudly. "We don't just ask for equality -- we practice it on the ground."
Women's empowerment is a key pillar of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s Vision 2031, which promotes increased female participation in economic, scientific, and technological sectors, especially in traditionally male-dominated fields.
"We are working to remove cultural and institutional barriers to women's participation," said Mona Al Marri, vice president of the UAE Gender Balance Council, in an earlier statement. "We encourage women to enter fields once seen as off-limits, like aviation, artificial intelligence, mechanical engineering, and maritime transport."
Al-Kaabi is not alone in challenging the workplace norms. In Sharjah, materials science graduate Noura Al-Suwaidi now supervises a production line at one of the UAE's new industrial robotics factories -- part of the country's national industrial strategy.
"I oversee more than 20 robots on assembly lines," said Al-Suwaidi. "My role is not just operating them, but also monitoring performance and refining the software. This used to be a male-only environment, but now it's a natural space for ambitious Emirati women."
In Abu Dhabi, Fatima Al-Naqbi leads a research team at the Nawah Energy Company's nuclear research center.
"Working in nuclear energy was never considered a traditional path for Emirati girls," said Al-Naqbi. "But today, the state, family, and society all encourage it."
Recent data from the UAE Ministry of Community Empowerment shows that the percentage of Emirati women working in engineering and technical fields rose from about 17 percent in 2015 to over 35 percent by 2025 -- a clear sign of accelerating integration of women into advanced sectors.
Leadership roles have also seen growth: women now hold nearly 28 percent of leadership positions in semi-governmental companies, thanks to localization and gender balance policies designed to promote women's involvement in decision-making.
At DP World, female participation in operational and field roles has doubled in the past three years, driven by the company's "Towards Full Partnership" initiative aimed at attracting and developing female talent in nontraditional workspaces.
Federal and local UAE institutions now offer mentorship and training programs to young women as early as high school, paving the way for careers in technical and industrial fields. These efforts are supported by organizations such as the UAE Gender Balance Council and the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council.
"Empowerment is not a feminist slogan -- it's an economic and developmental necessity," said Maryam Al-Hammadi, policy director at the Ministry of Community Empowerment. "The country cannot realize its future competitiveness without investing in the full potential of both men and women."
For Al-Kaabi, the transformation is more than just numbers.
"Every morning when I put on my helmet and walk along the dock," she said, "I feel like I'm not just carrying a work bag -- I'm carrying the responsibility of opening a new path for the women of my generation."