| 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 |
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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.
- ^ a b "UAE: Greater Progress Needed on Women's Rights". Human Rights Watch. 2021-03-04. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Fugitive Princesses of Dubai". The New Yorker. 2023.
- ^ "How torture, inaction underpin UAE's thriving sex trafficking industry". Reuters. 2023-06-12.
- ^ "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.