UAE rises in UN gender balance index

Emirates looks set to hit target of entering top 25 countries by 2021

Airline pilot Ghada Mohamed Al Rousi in the cockpit of an Air Arabia plane in 2015. Women attend university in significantly higher numbers than men in the UAE. Reem Mohammed / The National

The UAE has jumped 23 ranks in the United Nations Development Programme's 2019 Gender Inequality Index, ranking first in the Arab world and 26th globally.

Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, said she was "proud of this accomplishment which emphasises our ability to participate in further defining the future on the world stage".

The goal set by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, when establishing the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2015 was rank among the world's top 25 countries by 2021.

"We are committed to continue our efforts with our partners to achieve this goal," Sheikha Manal said.

The Gender Inequality Index is an index for measurement of gender disparity that was introduced in the 2010 Human Development Report by the UNDP.

It is a composite measure reflecting "inequality in achievement between women and men" in reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market.

Top of the Gender Inequality Index is Switzerland, with Sweden and Denmark joint second, the Netherlands in fourth and Norway in fifth. Belgium, Finland, France, Iceland and Korea - in that order - make up the remainder of the top 10. Saudi Arabia ranks 49 and Kuwait 53. The UK ranks below the UAE at 27.

Significantly higher numbers of women study at college and university in the UAE, particularly among the Emirati-attended government-run universities.

Last week, the OECD's respected Pisa education rankings showed teenage boys are significantly lagging behind girls in the UAE - and found the country has one of the highest education gender gaps in the world. Headteachers said greater efforts must be made to ensure young men are not left behind.