Overview of the status of women in the United Arab Emirates
Women in the United Arab Emirates
General Statistics
Maternal mortality (per 100,000)
3 (2017)[1]
Women in parliament
50% (2020)[2]
Women over 25 with secondary education
78.2% (2018)[3]
Women in labour force
43.5% (2011)
Gender Inequality Index[4]
Value
0.049 (2021)
Rank
11th out of 191
Global Gender Gap Index[5]
Value
0.717 (2022)
Rank
68th out of 146
Part of a series on
Women in society
Society
Women's history (legal rights)
Woman
Animal advocacy
Business
Female entrepreneurs
Gender representation on corporate boards of directors
Diversity (politics)
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Economic development
Explorers and travelers
Education
Feminism
Womyn
Government
Conservatives in the US
Heads of state or government
Legislators
Queen regnant
List
Health
Journalism
Law
Law enforcement
Military
Mother
Nobel Prize laureates
Piracy
Positions of power
Reproductive rights
Venture capital
Violence and abuse
Voting rights
Workforce
Exchange of women
Science
Technology
Computing
Engineering
Geology
Medicine
dentistry
in the United States
Organizations
Science
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Space
Telegraphy
Arts
Humanities
Architecture
Arts
Art history field
Women's cinema
Dance
Film
"Chick flicks"
Fine arts
Literature
Science fiction
Philosophy
Feminist philosophy
Photographers
Music
Jazz
Punk rock
In Shakespeare's works
Religion
Theological figures
Baháʼí Faith
Bible
Buddhism
Christianity
Catholicism
Mormonism
Opus Dei
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
Sikhism
Taoism
Popular culture
Comics
Portrayal in American comics
Film industry
Music
Fictional pirates
Speculative fiction
Video games
Gender representation in video games
Sports
Auto racing
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
Cricket
Curling
Cycling
Fastpitch softball
Football / soccer
Golf
Gymnastics
Ice hockey
Lacrosse
Mixed martial arts
Netball
Paralympic Games
Rodeo
Roller derby
Rowing
Surfing
Swimming
Tennis
Track and field
Volleyball
Winter sports
See also: List of sports
By country
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belgium
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus (North)
Denmark
DR Congo
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
East Timor
Ethiopia
FS Micronesia
Fiji
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Iceland
Italy
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Ivory Coast
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Libya
Madagascar
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Mongolia
Morocco
Myanmar
Nepal
New Zealand
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Spain
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
South Sudan
Sudan
Suriname
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Tonga
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Kurdistan
v
t
e
According to Human Rights Watch, there is substantial discrimination against women in the United Arab Emirates.[6] The status of women has improved over the years.[7][page needed] UAE performs better on metrics of gender equality than many other states in the Gulf region,[8][9] and it has been making reforms to protect women's rights and empower women in different sectors.[10] Critics describe some of these reforms as window dressing.[11]
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report in 2021 confirming that the UAE needs to put more effort into improving women's status in the UAE and achieving progress on women's rights.[10] Emirati women live under male guardianship.[11] Whereas men can marry multiple women and unilaterally divorce, women are required to obtain a court order to divorce their husband.[11] Honor killings can go unpunished, as the victim's family can pardon the murderer.[11] Marital rape is not criminalized in the UAE.[11] The UAE is a major destination for sex trafficking.[12]
Female members of the royal family have been subjects of abuse and restrictions by the male royalty.[11] On 5 March 2020, a British court ruled that on the balance of probabilities, Sheikh Mohammed, the absolute ruler of Dubai and the prime minister of the UAE, had abducted two of his daughters, Shamsa and Latifa, and had threatened his former wife, the Jordanian princess Haya bint Hussein.[13] Allegedly, Shamsa and Latifa were forcibly medicated while held in Dubai under Sheikh Mohammed's orders since 2000 and 2018, respectively.[14] On 16 February 2021, BBC's Panorama broadcast a documentary featuring Sheikha Latifa's video messages that she made secretly under enforced detention in Dubai on the orders of Sheikh Mohammed.[15][16]
^"Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) - United Arab Emirates". The World Bank. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
^"Gender Quotas Database". International Institute For Democracy and Electoral Assistance. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
^"Educational attainment, at least completed lower secondary, population 25+, female (%) (cumulative) - United Arab Emirates". The World Bank. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
^"Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORTS. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
^"Global Gender Gap Report 2022" (PDF). World Economic Forum. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
^"Human Rights Watch Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on the United Arab Emirates". Human Rights Watch. 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
^"The Situation of Women in the Gulf States" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-09-26.
^"UAE's gender equality awards won entirely by men". The Guardian. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
^Purtill, Corinne (29 January 2019). "The terrible optics of the UAE's "gender balance" awards hides a more complicated story". Quartz. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
^ ab"UAE: Greater Progress Needed on Women's Rights". Human Rights Watch. 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
^ abcdef"The Fugitive Princesses of Dubai". The New Yorker. 2023.
^"Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed abducted daughters and threatened wife – UK court". BBC News. 5 March 2020. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
^"WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Dubai royal insider breaks silence on escaped princesses | 60 Minutes Australia". Archived from the original on 20 September 2001 – via www.youtube.com.
^Panorama - The Missing Princess, archived from the original on 17 February 2021, retrieved 17 February 2021
^Siddique, Haroon (24 March 2022). "Dubai ruler to have no direct contact with two children after UK court battle". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
and 27 Related for: Women in the United Arab Emirates information
is substantial discrimination against womenintheUnitedArabEmirates. The status of women has improved over the years.[page needed] UAE performs better...
TheUnitedArabEmirates consists of seven emirates (Arabic: إمارات ʾimārāt; singular: إمارة ʾimārah), which were historically known as the Trucial States...
TheUnitedArabEmirates (UAE), or simply theEmirates, is a country in West Asia, inthe Middle East. Located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula...
Prostitution intheUnitedArabEmirates is illegal. Punishments for engaging in prostitution include heavy fines and imprisonment, with foreign prostitutes...
The president of theUnitedArabEmirates (Arabic: رئيس دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة), or the Raʾīs (Arabic: رَئِيْس), is the head of state of the United...
Expatriates intheUnitedArabEmirates represent about 88% of the population, while Emiratis constitute roughly 12% of the total population, making the UAE home...
Demographic features of theUnitedArabEmirates (UAE) include population density, vital statistics, immigration and emigration data, ethnicity, education...
UnitedArabEmirates University (UAEU) (Arabic: جامعة الإمارات العربية المتحدة) is a public research university located in Al Ain, UnitedArab Emirates...
Politics of theUnitedArabEmirates take place in a framework of a federal presidential elective constitutional monarchy (a federation of absolute monarchies)...
The crime rate intheUnitedArabEmirates is relatively low compared to more highly industrialized nations. Incidents of petty crime such as pickpocketing...
Islam is the official religion of theUnitedArabEmirates. Of the total population, 76.9% are Muslims as of a 2010 estimate by the Pew Research Center...
TheUnitedArabEmirates is a high-income developing market economy. The UAE's economy is the 4th largest inthe Middle East (after Turkey, Saudi Arabia...
are available to the student body. In 1976, theUnitedArabEmirates University (UAEU) was established in Al Ain in Abu Dhabi Emirate. Consisting of nine...
The legal system intheUnitedArabEmirates is based on civil law, and Sharia law inthe personal status matters of Muslims and blood money compensation...
people intheUnitedArabEmirates face discrimination and legal challenges. Homosexuality is illegal intheUnitedArabEmirates (UAE) and under the federal...
According to the 2005 census, Christians accounted for 9 percent of the total population of theUnitedArabEmirates; estimates in 2010 suggested a figure...
The flag of theUnitedArabEmirates (Arabic: علم دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة) contains the Pan-Arab colors red, green, white, and black. It was designed...
TheUnitedArabEmirates Armed Forces (Arabic: القوات المسلحة لدولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة, romanized: Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa li-Dawlat al-ʾImārāt al-ʿArabīyyah...
beach soccer and futsal intheUnitedArabEmirates. The following is a list of selected presidents of theUnitedArabEmirates Football Association including...