This paper examines the role of women in the United Arab Emirates government and their influence on legislation related to gender equality and women's empowerment. It traces key milestones, including the 2017 cabinet reshuffle that elevated female representation and the 2021 decree mandating 50% female composition in the Federal National Council. The paper analyzes how female ministers have shaped policy across areas such as domestic violence law, education, entrepreneurship, and public diplomacy. It also considers limitations, including barriers faced by tribal women and the need to account for confounding variables when assessing legislative impact.
The United Arab Emirates has made significant strides in recent years to promote women's empowerment, and this is reflected in the country's cabinet appointments. In February 2021, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, decreed that 50% of the Federal National Council (FNC) would be composed of women. This was a significant increase from the 20% quota that had been in place since 2006. Moreover, Sheikh Khalifa also announced that women would hold half of the seats on the Federal Supreme Council (FSC), the highest legislative body in the country.
These appointments are significant because they give women a strong voice in the Emirati government. It is expected that these changes will lead to more legislation favorable to women's rights and empowerment. For example, greater support is anticipated for laws pertaining to pay equality and parental leave. Furthermore, these appointments send a clear message that the UAE values the contributions of its female citizens. In turn, this is likely to build support for further measures to empower women. Ultimately, the presence of women in high-level government positions is expected to have a positive impact on legislation pertaining to women's empowerment and to advance progress toward gender equality in the country.
The UAE cabinet structure of 2017–2020 represents a radical reshuffle announced on 19 October 2017, by which three female ministers were appointed among a total of six. As of the 2017/2018 structure, this number rose to nine female ministers out of a total of 32 cabinet members (The UAE Cabinet, 2022). As Antwi-Boateng and Alhashmi (2022) point out, "the UAE has one of the highest ratios of women serving in the executive cabinet" (p. 209). Almost immediately, their presence was felt in terms of legislative impact. Salama (2018) reports that the new female-influenced cabinet "approved a slew of legislations, policies and initiatives to enhance the leading role of women in our society, and raise the rates of their participation and representation in all areas, locally, regionally and internationally."
Moreover, as Sheikh Mohammad has noted, Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak serves as a model for all Emirati women. In response, the cabinet issued new legislation that included "a proposal to issue the Federal Law on Combating Domestic Violence, in compliance with the Cabinet's decision to adopt mechanisms to implement the Human Rights Action Plan, which recommends the drafting of a law on domestic violence against women and children" (Salama, 2018).
Female ministers have helped bring about wide-ranging changes in the UAE, from women's empowerment in the tourism industry (Abou-Shouk et al., 2021) to other areas of society such as entrepreneurship, education, management, and politics (Al Khayyal et al., 2020; Allagui & Al-Najjar, 2018). They have been at the forefront of the fight for gender equality in the UAE, drawing critical attention to the issue within the cabinet in order to advance referendums and legislation that would support greater equality among the sexes (Hesketh & Williams, 2021). They have also established themselves as leaders in public diplomacy strategies, facilitating change in the face of tradition (Williamson, 2022). Finally, they have called on social service institutions to do more to promote the empowerment of women in the UAE (Youssef, 2020).
Examples of resulting initiatives include Emirati Women's Day, numerous online services for women, social assistance support, housing, a focus on women's health, education assistance, socio-economic empowerment, and greater representation of women in politics (UAE Women, 2022). For instance, "the Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Shamma bint Sohail Faris Al Mazrui was 22 years old when she took office in early 2016" (UAE Women, 2022). Her path has inspired others to step forward: by 2022, "women make up 66 per cent of the public sector workforce while 30 per cent of women are in leadership roles and 15 per cent are in technical and academic roles" (UAE Women, 2022).
"Tribal norms and barriers limit women's political progress"
"Variables and confounding factors in studying legislative impact"
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