Closing the policy-to-practice gap for women’s empowerment in the UAE’s private sector

It’s undeniable that women’s rights and empowerment have come a long way in the UAE, which recently marked its tenth Emirati Women’s Day. Celebrating 50 years of progress under H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Emirates is also looking ahead with the launch of the Mother of the Nation 50:50 Vision. 

The Vision is a strategic national framework designed to ensure that by 2075, the UAE becomes a global exemplar in shaping women’s futures, so that they enjoy equal quality of life and play leadership roles across future-oriented sectors. 

I’m hugely impressed by the significant headway that has been made in women’s rights in recent years. The UAE has jumped from 49th to seventh on the UNDP’s Gender Inequality Index (GII), and now leads the way in the region. 

Additionally, the Emirates massively outperforms its regional counterparts in terms of average scores for women’s rights. The World Bank scored the country 82.5 out of 100 in 2023, much higher than the region’s average of 53.2. 

These make excellent foundations for the blueprint of the UAE’s evolution as a globally recognised champion of women’s rights. However, the gaps between policy and practice mean that the Emirates is only just really starting on its way to women’s empowerment. 

Real-world barriers still exist, including uneven representation in boardrooms and senior executive roles, mainly across the private sector. Yes, there’s been a massive increase in the number of women across corporate executive leadership and government roles—including a 200% increase in female representation in boardrooms—but gaps remain. 

Gender-based bias and underrepresentation continue to manifest in daily professional life for women. A recent report shows that three-quarters of teams are managed by men, and two-thirds of women have experienced exclusion or offensive targeting in the workplace.

A report from the Emirates Businesswomen Council also shows that women make up just 34.6% of the workforce. Realistically, there’s a smaller talent pool of women available on top of massive competition in a male-dominated workforce. 

These issues present structural and talent barriers to implementing government mandates for female empowerment. Meeting equal gender representation in companies as part of diversity quotas is more difficult, especially in notoriously male-dominated areas like STEM. 

We must ensure the guardrails are in place to empower women of all ages and industries. The appetite from women to break barriers in the Emirates is there, and I believe that there’s massive potential for trailblazers to rewrite the story for the country’s future. 

In the UAE, 70% of all university graduates and 61% of STEM graduates are female. That number far exceeds the global average. Now is the time to ramp up efforts for gender balance in the private sector and cement better female representation in company leadership positions. 

Companies must set clear, measurable leadership targets that balance gender representation beyond the boardroom into senior and middle-management positions. One example is having a specific number of women in progression and succession plans from junior to senior management roles. As part of this initiative, companies can ensure tangible pathways to future-ready skills development, actively seeking out and encouraging women to take part. 

This helps overcome structural and skills barriers to women’s empowerment. Women feel motivated and better equipped to hone skills like AI and data literacy, which are set to be a dealbreaker for the next generation of work. They will also be relevant to all industries beyond technology. 

Structural and social barriers can also be addressed by supporting and uplifting more women to become engines of the economy. Right now, only 18% of entrepreneurs in the UAE are businesswomen. Fortunately, that’s shifting: 84% of women in the UAE are thinking of starting their own business, and most of these are young, identifying as Millennials and Gen Z. However, women are three times more likely to perceive a lack of confidence as a reason not to pursue that ambition.

With greater momentum around female success in scaling businesses comes more awareness about their equal importance to shape the future economy. Most socially-charged gender bias stems from ignorance of what women bring to the table. Propelling female founders’ success on a larger scale ultimately also emboldens younger women and girls who might otherwise be hesitant to pursue similar paths.

Crucially, female founders and business leaders serve as excellent partners for mentorship programmes geared towards young women and girls just setting out on their own journeys. Having a wider pool of inspiring female role models is vital for these kinds of initiatives to truly gain traction and inspire the next generation of innovators. It’s also a critical building block for nurturing much-needed skills in aspiring female entrepreneurs.

There are clear bridges to close the policy-to-practice gaps. Stronger entrepreneurial tracks for female founders, revamped organizational cultures, and embedded future-focused upskilling strategies are what’s needed to balance the scales. These initiatives bring tangible change from the ground up, rewriting ‘either/or’ mentalities around women’s success that dictate they can either be good homemakers or corporate powerhouses. 

When it comes to reskilling women for the future, it’s about working smart, not just hard. Institutions, whether private or public, have a massive part in facilitating this and overcoming structural and social barriers to women’s empowerment and paving the way for the next fifty years of progress. 

Article by Mila Smart Semeshkinа, Founder of WE Convention and CEO of Lectera