The UAE has secured the prime position in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region rankings of the World Bank’s newly published 2021 ‘Women, Business and the Law’ (WBL) report.
The country’s position in the World Bank report made a significant ascent as a result of the ground-breaking legislative reforms implemented by the government over the past few years.
Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, stated that the ranking achieved by the country in the latest report is the result of new laws and more than 20 legislative reforms focused on enhancing women’s economic participation.
The achievement made by UAE is a significant addition to the country’s scientific, economic and social accomplishments that will drive the country’s accelerated progress in the next fifty years, Sheikha Manal further added.
Indicators
The UAE’s scores in the ‘Women, Business and the Law’ report witnessed noticeable increases as a result of legislative reforms made by the country related to women’s economic participation enacted over the last three years.
The report which is considered as one of the most significant global indexes that evaluate laws and regulations affecting women’s economic inclusion in 190 economies is formed of eight indicators structured around women’s interactions with the law as they start, progress through, and end their careers. The indicators are mobility, workplace, pay, marriage, parenthood, entrepreneurship, assets, and pension.
In the past three years, the UAE amended over 20 legal provisions in the area of employee benefits like equal pay for equal value, parental leave, prohibition on firing pregnant women, and equal access to credit.
In the 2021 WBL report, the UAE secured 82.5 points out of a total of 100 points, compared to 56 points last year and 29 points in the 2019 edition. The UAE has also achieved a full score in five indicators in the latest report namely movement, workplace, wages, entrepreneurship, and pension.
