The UAE’s ongoing endeavors to advance gender balance have played a key role in equal opportunities for women, and have translated into a remarkable milestone. The country recorded a 23.1% surge in women’s participation in the private sector in 2023, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE).

The UAE also holds the top spot in the Arab world and is ranked eleventh globally on the Gender Equality Index 2022 by the United Nations Development Programme. 

Additionally, the World Bank’s Women, Business, and the Law 2023 report crowned the UAE as the leader in the Middle East and North Africa region, while the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2022 placed it at the forefront of Arab nations.

UAE labor law is crucial in ensuring wage equality and eliminating restrictions on women working at night and in traditionally male-dominated sectors such as mining, construction, manufacturing, energy, agriculture, and transportation.

Going beyond gender inequality, the law prohibits all forms of discrimination in the workplace based not only on gender but also on race, color, national origin, or social origin.

The UAE’s Gender Balance Strategy 2022-2026 has six key pillars: economic participation, financial inclusion, well-being, quality of life, protection, and global leadership.

The recent enactment of the Federal Law on the Unified General Rules of Labour further strengthens this commitment by promoting gender balance and equal opportunities across public and private sectors.

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