UAE is first in Arab world for gender equality

Currently, the UAE also ranks among the top five countries in the world that have made remarkable headway in this aspect in 2020.

The UAE ranks first among Arab countries in the advancement towards bridging the gender gap and striving for gender equality as globally the time estimated to close the gender gap has increased by a generation -- from 99.5 to 135.6 years, according to the World Economic Forum.

During the pandemic-hit 2020, when globally, progress towards gender parity was stalled in several large economies, the UAE achieved a significant improvement of 48 positions through its bold strides towards the goal of gender equality, WEF said in its Global Gender Gap REport 2021

Currently, the UAE also ranks among the top five countries in the world that have made remarkable headway in this aspect in 2020. “Having moved forward a total of 48 placements, the UAE has once again topped the region, followed by Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan,” said the report.

The UAE’s leadership position in the region is an indication that it maintains the momentum despite the adverse impacts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which had a significant effect on the performance of countries around the world, said the report.

The UAE has so far bridged 71.6 per cent of its gender gap, several performance indicators have witnessed improvement, such as the political empowerment indicator, which saw closure of 4.03 of the gap, here the UAE ranks 24th globally compared to 75th last year.

As for the economic participation and opportunity indicator, the UAE closed 5.10, compared to 4.72 last year. “Overall, wage equality for similar work, and the estimated earned income have both improved, additionally, the number of female legislators, senior officials and managers have also seen an increase,” said the report.

Roberto Crotti, quantitative economist and manager with the Global Competitiveness and Risk at the WEF, said the UAE is one of the most improved countries in the 2021 edition of the Global Gender Gap Index. It has closed its overall gender gap by over six percentage points, climbing 48 positions to the 72nd place. Since the previous Global Gender Gap edition, the country has narrowed gaps both in terms of Political Empowerment and in terms of Economic Participation and Opportunity."

"Although there are still gaps to be closed, the country is progressing at a fast pace. Notably, the country has achieved equal representation of women and men in the parliament," he added.

Now in its 15th year, the report benchmarks the evolution of gender-based gaps in four areas: economic participation and opportunity; educational attainment; health and survival; and political empowerment.

Progress towards gender parity is stalling in several large economies and industries. This is partly due to women being more frequently employed in sectors hardest hit by lockdowns combined with the additional pressures of providing care at home, said the report.