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Women's representation in cabinet lauded

 Women of the UAE - Emiratis and expats alike - have praised the strong representation by women in the country's newly announce cabinet.
The 29-member cabinet now has eight women - five of whom were included among eight new faces announced by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, of which newly appointed Minister of Community Development Najila bint Mohammed Al Awar is a board member, said the move reinforces the UAE's desire to encourage female participation.
"We are delighted that a number of women have been appointed to a number of newly created positions in the UAE cabinet reshuffle - which has raised the representation of women to 27.5 per cent. This is a remarkable step to inspire a new generation of women who are clearly capable of top-tier roles in leadership along with men. Opportunities such as these have never been greater for women in the UAE and we look forward to the difference these women will bring to the visibility of women in government and politics," she added.
Sophie Le Ray, CEO of Nasaba Group, said the cabinet reshuffling is a natural progression in the UAE's long history of empowering women.
"The UAE has been at the forefront of gender parity in the region since the 1970s, and so I'm not surprised by this development, and I am, of course, pleased by it," she said. "It brings us even closer to realising the vision of Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak when she first founded the General Women's Federation in 1975, of including women as equal members in the political and professional sphere in the UAE.
"Even before this important change was made to the cabinet, Emirati women were very active in politics, holding 66 per cent of government positions," she added."Women have by no means lived in political shadow in this country, and this change is simply another step on the road to gender parity that the UAE has already been traveling on for 40 years," she added. "The more women are incorporated in the UAE government, the more likely it is that other women will follow their footsteps, becoming active in politics and in the development of the economy."Alisha Moopen, Executive Director and CEO of Aster DM Healthcare Hospitals and Clinics GCC, said women's experience in raising families makes them excellent candidates for cabinet positions.
"Women are the caretakers of the home typically which is the smallest unit in a society. They are opinion shapers and decision makers in households," she said. "Therefore, it is a natural choice for them to be part of the decision making at the national level too."
sandhya@khaleejtimes.com