UAE EMPOWERS WOMEN WITH EQUAL WAGE LAW

abu dhabi — A law that will ensure equal wages for women and men has been approved by the UAE Cabinet. The ‘law on equal wages and salaries for men and women’ will ensure that women have equal opportunities as partners in the UAE’s development. It will also empower women to lead future national strategies and ambitious projects, it was announced on Tuesday.

Announcing the law on Twitter, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said the country’s constitution guarantees impartiality between men and women as a fundamental right.

“Our Constitution calls for equal rights and duties of the genders, and we seek to elaborate, enforce and guarantee this constitutional right through the new law,” he tweeted. “We do not want any exception when it comes to providing equal opportunities for both genders.” He said the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had recognised the importance of establishing gender balance and its long-term positive social and economic effects.

Hailing the law, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, noted that the UAE has achieved gender balance “in all fields”. “The decision encourages women to devote

themselves to work and make greater efforts to achieve the state’s goals,” she said.

The UAE Government has been consolidating efforts to narrow the gender gap. In 2015, the UAE Council for Gender Balance was established to position the UAE among the leading countries in the world in terms of gender balance.

The Cabinet’s approval of the law is in line with the government’s objective to ensure the protection of women’s rights and support their role in the national development process. It is part of the Strategy for the Empowerment of Emirati Women launched by Sheikha Fatima.