Under the theme of ‘Inspiring Reality Sustainable Future,’ the United Arab Emirates is celebrating the Emirati Women’s Day in recognition of achievements that women have carried out in the UAE over the last 50 years, as active partner, and a cornerstone for a more prosperous sustainable future.

With the unlimited support from the wise leadership and H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), the United Arab Emirates is enhancing women’s capabilities so that they can play an effective role in the political, economic, social, media, and cultural fields.

Out of the leadership’s belief in the Emirati woman’s capabilities, the UAE celebrates the Emirati Women’s Day on August 28 every year to highlight her important role in helping advance many sectors across the country. This day is an occasion to encourage women to achieve the highest gains for themselves and their society.

Ahmed Mahmoud Fikri, Director General of the Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi (SCAD), said: "The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan laid strong fruit-bearing foundations highlighting women’s role in achieving what is good for us and the generations to come. In light of this great support, Abu Dhabi women have proven strong capabilities in all economic, industrial and parliamentary sectors with unprecedented achievements in the fields of healthcare and business management. Today, the Emirati women represent 69% of the Emirati people who are working in the health sector and represent 43% of Emirati investors in the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX)."

Badria Abdalla Obaid, the Executive Director of the Foresights and Communications Sector at SCAD, said: "Thanks to the wise leadership support, and the initiatives of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Emirati woman is taking confident steps to achieve exceptional achievements across the country according to official statistics. Likewise, Abu Dhabi women are becoming a key contributor to the emirate’s foresight through data-driven research studies and methodologies that can support policy making and future planning with reliable statistics and insights."

She added: "With this inspiring reality, Emirati woman is becoming a beacon of sustainable future and a key contributor to the planning for comprehensive development. Happy Emirati Women’s Day for each and every Emirati woman who should be proud of her unlimited giving for the benefits for the country."

Dr. Haifa Ali Alhamdani, Acting Executive Director of Strategy and Planning Sector at SCAD, praised efforts made by the government to empower women, amid aspirations to continue enhancing their role in the future.

She said: "Women in Abu Dhabi today enjoy a distinguished position as they are reaping the fruits of more than 50 years of supporting laws and initiatives that prove they are at the heart of the sustainable development witnessed by the country. Today, women in Abu Dhabi are key supporters of the emirate's economy by building an advanced statistics ecosystem that is capable of providing our wise leadership with reliable statistics and insights that can drive development plans for a more prosperous future which is confirming Emirati women’s inspiring reality."

Entrepreneurship and workforce Emirati women have successfully proven strong capabilities in various fields of work thanks to the continuous support provided by the wise leadership and generous initiatives of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak to establish the GWU’s female graduate employment office. It helps female Emirati graduates to find jobs at the public and private sector institutions.

Due to the positive impact of this initiative, Abu Dhabi women managed to become an active partner in the labour market. Official statistics show that women constitute 43% of investors in the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), with more than 14,000 businesswomen in the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council (ADBWC).

Also, women in Abu Dhabi have made a great leap in project management over the past ten years, as the number of projects they manage increased to 12,473 projects in 2021, compared to only 477 projects in 2010.

This significant growth explains the continued rise in the number of Abu Dhabi women occupying leadership positions from 11% in 2017 to nearly 14% in 2021, which is almost equal to the percentage of male Emiratis who occupy leadership positions during the same year.

Abu Dhabi woman education The education sector has witnessed qualitative growth in which schools and universities have multiplied due to decades of support, during which women participated in building a distinguished educational environment that reflects the insightful vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Statistics show that the total number of female Emirati teachers in Abu Dhabi increased by 8.6% from 2015 to 2022, reaching 4,287 female teachers.

Abu Dhabi woman in healthcare In the field of healthcare, the Emirati women show honorable contributions with unique presence, as women represent more than 69% of the total Emiratis working in this sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

She demonstrated a role model in the face of the COVID-19 taking the whole sector to distinguished position at the regional and global levels.

Abu Dhabi medical staff statistics for 2021 reveal that the total number of female doctors reached 1,085, representing 66% of the total Emirati doctors. Similarly, the number of female dentists reached 168, along with 166 female pharmacists and 482 nurses.

The statistical indicators reflect progress witnessed by women in Abu Dhabi over the past years, which effectively contributes to strengthening the role of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi women have become a source of future sustainability, with their strong contribution in all federal and local sectors.