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Gender equality & equal pay in the UAE: 2024 stats

Cover image for blog on gender equality and equal pay in UAE 2024
Suzanne Locke 18 September 2024
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In the UAE, labour law demands “equal remuneration for work of equal value”.

The Labour Code prohibits any discrimination, including gender.

UAE most equal MENA country – WEF

In 2024, the UAE was the most equal MENA country in WEF’s Global Gender Pay Gap report. 

It ranked 10th globally for one of the indicators making up the index, ‘wage equality for similar work’.

Women 13% of C-suite

Women now comprise:

  • 34.6 percent of the UAE workforce
  • 22 percent of managers
  • 13 percent of C-suite roles.

Sources: Emirates Businesswomen Council/ LinkedIn 

Infographic showing UAE workforce statistics: Women represent 34.6% of the workforce, 22% of managers, and 13% of C-suite roles.

61% of UAE working women think company pay is fair

Some 61 percent of working women in the UAE believe their company ensures fair pay, according to an Oliver Wyman UAE Private Sector Employee Survey (2023).

Table 1: WEF’s Global Gender Pay Gap 2024: GCC rankings 

GCC 

2024 worldwide ranking 

Score (100% = parity) 

Change since 2023 

UAE 

#74 

71.3% 

-3 

Bahrain 

#116 

66.6% 

-3 

Saudi Arabia 

#126 

64.7% 

+5 

Qatar 

#130 

64.0% 

+3 

Kuwait 

#131 

63.6% 

-11 

Oman 

#136 

62.8% 

+3 

Source: World Economic Forum 

Table showing WEF Global Gender Pay Gap 2024 GCC rankings

Table 2: WEF’s Global Gender Pay Gap 2024: Top 5 countries 

Worldwide 

2024 worldwide ranking 

Score (100% = parity) 

Change since 2023 

Iceland 

#1 

93.5% 

– 

Finland 

#2 

87.5% 

+1 

Norway 

#3 

87.5% 

-1 

New Zealand 

#4 

83.5% 

– 

Sweden 

#5 

81.6% 

– 

Source: World Economic Forum

Table showing WEF Global Gender Pay Gap 2024 top 5 countries

UAE 7th in UN Gender Index 2024

The UAE is also 7th in the UN’s Gender Inequality Index 2024.

In 2015 it was in 49th place & in 2022 in 11th place.

Experts say UAE changes have helped lift the Emirates’ global scores: 

  • paid parental leave 
  • additional rights for women working at night & in heavy industries 
  • protected status for pregnant employees 
  • quota for women board directors.

Iceland has topped the index for 15 years, followed in 2024 by Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden.

Nevertheless, we still have work to do. 

The global gender pay gap is still estimated at 20 percent.

Globally, women earn 77 cents for every $1 men make.

It could take 134 years – five generations – to close the gap worldwide. 

#equalpayforwomen #genderpaygap q#fairpay #wageequality #internationalequalpayday

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