The private sector of the United Arab Emirates is increasing efforts to increase gender parity. Nearly 18 local and multinational companies in the Gulf country have vowed to put more women in leadership positions. The companies are trying to boost the representation of women in leadership positions to 30 percent by 2025.
The UAE corporation inked the pledge to increase the number of women in leadership. The companies are planning to do this through policy, program, and project developments that are in line with UAE government direction. Furthermore, each signatory agreed to take key steps to improve gender balance in leadership roles by 2025.
Various companies in Gulf countries are intending to introduce including equal pay of both genders, promoting inclusive and equitable recruitment and promotion, normalizing gender balance through policies and programs, and being truthful about progress with peers signers and the authorities. The UAE is devoted to the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030 and has incorporated them into its strategic plans and highlighted them in its local and international collaborations.
In addition, the VP of the UAE Gender Balance Council and the Chairperson of the Global Council on SDG 5 stated that the COVID-19 epidemic has highlighted the importance of working together to find innovative answers to some of the world’s most complicated problems. It has also illustrated the extent to which crises affect women, pointing out that there are significant gender discrepancies in leadership roles around the world, with women holding only 22% of CEO positions.
There is a need that countries should intensify their efforts to increase the number of women in senior and middle management positions because more women in leadership positions equal better organizational performance and healthy economies.
