Emirati women have been active partners in the UAE’s development journey across a wide range of fields for decades. This presence did not emerge recently, but rather reflects a long process of empowerment that began with the establishment of the federation and which has continued to evolve over subsequent decades. In this context, the UAE’s leadership has played a central role in developing highly qualified Emirati women capable of contributing to the country’s development, beginning with expanding access to education and progressing toward promoting the presence and participation of women across different sectors. Over the years, government policies and institutional development efforts have supported women’s access to leadership positions and, consequently, their participation in decision-making across a number of institutions.

Institutional Empowerment

The UAE’s approach to supporting women has evolved from general efforts toward a more structured and institutionalized model. Carefully designed and integrated national policies and strategies have created a supportive environment for strengthening women’s roles across different fields. The country has also developed legislation and policy measures aimed at promoting equal opportunities between men and women, reinforcing its international position as a model in gender balance. The most significant policies and strategies adopted in recent years include the following:

1. The UAE National Policy for Empowerment of Emirati Women: In August 2023, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, launched the UAE National Policy for Empowerment of Emirati Women 2023–2031 pursuant to a Cabinet decision. The policy primarily seeks to ensure fair, inclusive, and meaningful participation by women across different fields, enhance the quality of life within society, and provide a general framework and reference for decision-makers to boost women’s empowerment efforts nationwide.

The policy is structured around five main pillars. The first pillar seeks to build cohesive and supportive families that strengthen women’s role in society by providing support networks, health and social services, psychological support, and appropriate protection for women and families. The second promotes women’s balanced integration into the labor market and emerging sectors in a manner that takes their roles and needs into account. The third focuses on developing women’s capabilities and skills through entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, and support for academic and development programs designed for women.

The fourth pillar seeks to strengthen the legislative and regulatory framework supporting women, protect them from violence and discrimination, and ensure access to social benefits. The fifth aims to enhance institutional action and partnerships at the national and international levels through improved statistics and research and greater cooperation among government entities, the private sector, civil society, and regional and international organizations in women’s empowerment and gender balance.

2. The Central Role Played by the General Women’s Union in Supporting Women: The General Women’s Union was established on August 27, 1975, under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak to serve as the national mechanism for advancing women’s empowerment and leadership in the UAE and as an umbrella organization supporting and guiding women’s movements across the country.

Over the decades, the Union has worked to strengthen women’s role in Emirati society, including through the launch of several national strategies. These included the National Strategy for the Advancement of Women in the UAE in 2002 and the second National Strategy for Empowerment and Leadership of Women 2015–2021. In August 2023, the Union launched the UAE National Policy for Empowerment of Emirati Women 2023–2031.

In August 2025, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak also launched the "Mother of the Nation 50:50" Vision, a long-term national strategic framework for empowering Emirati women over the 50-year period from 2025 to 2075. Its principal objectives include positioning the UAE among the world’s leading countries in women’s quality of life and promoting equal opportunities for women in education, employment, and the economy.

3. Establishing the UAE Gender Balance Council to Expand Women’s Participation: The UAE Gender Balance Council was established in 2015 under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. It was created as the federal body responsible for advancing gender balance across the country’s sectors.

The Council is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and seeks to narrow gender gaps across various sectors and promote greater balance between men and women in decision-making positions, in support of the UAE’s broader national vision.

4. Continuous Updates to the Gender Balance Strategy: The UAE Gender Balance Strategy 2022–2026 was approved in March 2022 with the aim of establishing the UAE as a global leader in gender balance. In June 2026, the UAE Gender Balance Council launched a national dialogue involving representatives from government institutions and the private sector to contribute to the development of the Gender Balance Strategy 2027–2031.

Building on this approach, the Council launched the "National Gender Balance Survey" in August 2026 to involve different segments of society in shaping the new strategy.

5. Developing Legislative Frameworks to Expand Women’s Roles: In recent years, the UAE has sought to strengthen the legislative frameworks supporting women’s participation in Emirati society. In September 2018, for example, Federal Decree-Law No. 27 on equal pay between men and women was issued, affirming equal pay within the federal government.

Meanwhile, Article 4 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regulating Labor Relations prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, social origin, or disability. The same article provides that women must receive the same wage as men when performing the same work or work of equal value.

In a related provision, Article 30 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 stipulates that a female employee may not be terminated or given notice of termination because of pregnancy, maternity leave, or absence from work.

6. An Expanded Role for the Private Sector in Empowering Women: The UAE has also pursued various initiatives to expand private-sector participation in women’s empowerment efforts. One example is the SDG 5 Pledge to Accelerate Gender Balance, introduced by the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2022.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the private sector’s contribution toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5, which focuses on advancing gender balance and empowering all women and girls. Companies joining the pledge commit to a set of measures supporting women’s participation in the labor market. These include working toward at least 30% representation of women in middle and senior management positions by 2028, ensuring equal pay, applying fair compensation and benefits practices, and promoting gender-balanced recruitment and promotion procedures.

The number of participating companies has continued to increase since the initiative was launched. As of June 2026, 88 local and international companies operating in the UAE market had joined the pledge.

7. International Partnerships to Advance Women’s Empowerment: International partnerships have become an important element in policies adopted by UAE institutions to support women. Most notably, the UAE Gender Balance Council, in cooperation with the World Bank, established the UAE Gender Balance Center for Excellence and Knowledge Exchange. The Council has also collaborated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to develop the UAE Gender Balance Guidelines, which help institutions integrate gender-balance principles into governance, workplace practices, and decision-making processes.

The Council also cooperates with the United Nations through regular participation in major platforms, including the Commission on the Status of Women and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The General Women’s Union has similarly played an important role in strengthening international partnerships related to women’s empowerment. In April 2026, for example, a Union delegation conducted an official visit to China aimed at building strategic partnerships supporting women’s empowerment in entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment. The visit included the organization of the UAE-China Women Entrepreneurs Forum in cooperation with the China NGO Network for International Exchanges.

Growing Participation

Policies and institutional development efforts pursued by the UAE over several decades have contributed to expanding the role of Emirati women. Several indicators illustrate how their participation has evolved:

1. Rapid Progress in Educational Indicators for Emirati Women: Educational indicators for Emirati women have improved substantially over the decades. In 1975, for example, the female illiteracy rate stood at approximately 62%, but by 2024, it had fallen dramatically to just 1.6%.

The number of female students in general education increased from 27,021 in 1975 to 890,341 in 2024, while women accounted for 52.6% of university graduates. The number of female teachers also rose from approximately 2,755 in 1975 to around 120,876 in 2024.

2. Increasing Participation in the Labor Market and Entrepreneurship: In line with improvements in women’s educational attainment, female labor-force participation has also increased, rising from 32.5% in 2023 to 34.6% in 2024. This increase reflects women’s growing presence in the labor market and their expanding participation across the UAE’s economic and professional sectors.

Women’s participation in entrepreneurship has also grown significantly. The number of Emirati businesswomen reached approximately 23,000 in 2019, with total business activity estimated at around AED 50 billion. By 2021, the number had increased to approximately 25,000 women entrepreneurs holding around 50,000 commercial licenses valued at up to AED 60 billion.

Estimates published in August 2024 also indicated that women accounted for approximately 18% of all entrepreneurs in the UAE, while 77.6% of women-owned businesses were led by women under the age of 40.

3. Strengthening Women’s Presence in Decision-Making Positions: Various numbers also highlight the significant progress made in increasing the representation of Emirati women in decision-making positions. For instance, the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a decision raising women’s representation in the Federal National Council to 50%, beginning with the 2019 electoral cycle.

Furthermore, women’s participation in ministerial positions has increased, with six women currently serving among the Cabinet’s 28 members. Women also hold approximately 63% of leadership positions in the federal government, reflecting their growing participation at senior levels of government.

4. The UAE’s Progress in Global Women’s Empowerment Indicators: Policies adopted by the UAE have strengthened the country’s standing in international gender-balance indicators. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report assesses countries across four key dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health, and political empowerment.

The UAE moved from 72nd globally and second regionally in 2021 to 69th globally and first regionally in 2025. It also ranked 32nd globally in political empowerment, reflecting the progress achieved in this area.

5. Broad International Recognition of the UAE’s Experience: The UAE’s experience in women’s empowerment has received broad international recognition and has increasingly been cited in global forums. The United Nations’ 2024 annual report on its work in the UAE noted the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls’ praise for the country’s progress in empowering women across different sectors, its legal framework supporting gender balance, and its leadership in the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

During the Gender Balance Forum at the World Governments Summit in February 2025, Dr. Moez Doraid, Regional Director for the Arab States at UN Women, also praised the UAE’s achievements in gender balance, pointing to its positive performance in global indicators.

In February 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations also honored Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, in recognition of her contributions to women’s empowerment and sustainable development at both the national and international levels.

In January 2026, the World Woman Foundation presented Sheikha Dr. Shamma bint Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan with the World Woman Hero 2026 award on the sidelines of the Davos conference in Switzerland. The Foundation stated that she represents a contemporary model of informed female leadership combining intellectual vision, institutional work, and social influence, and that her projects and initiatives demonstrate a deep understanding of women’s role as essential partners in sustainable development and shaping the future.

In June 2026, Her Excellency Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, received Italy’s Marisa Bellisario Award, a prestigious award recognizing distinguished female leadership. The award honored her career and contributions in diplomacy, international cooperation, and the development of global partnerships, reflecting the growing international presence of Emirati women leaders.

In conclusion, the gradual evolution of women’s empowerment in the UAE reflects the leadership’s sustained commitment to investing in this important national asset and harnessing women’s capabilities to contribute to the country’s development and prosperity. This commitment has been reinforced by a supportive environment that encourages productivity and innovation and addresses women’s needs across different stages of life and areas of work. As a result, Emirati women now play prominent roles across a wide range of fields. National policies, legislation, and initiatives have helped consolidate these gains and ensure their sustainability, enabling women to move beyond participation toward greater influence and a more substantive role in decision-making.

How Has the Role of Women Evolved in Emirati Society?