MORE TOP JOBS FOR WOMEN IN JUDICIARY IN THE UAE

Cabinet announces new legislation and incentives for increased equality

The UAE will work to get more women into top jobs in the judiciary, diplomatic service and the labour market overall, to bring further equality to the workplace, the Prime Minister said yesterday.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, also Ruler of Dubai, set out plans to boost the number of women in key positions.

He also said the country will provide more specialist medical and psychological services for women, as well as long-term care for the elderly in their own homes.

“We will seek during the next period to increase the woman’s representation rate in the judiciary and diplomatic corps, the workforce and international organisations,” he wrote on Twitter. “And we also seek to provide specialised health and psychological services that support the role of women as mother, generations’ educator and the man’s partner in the development process.”

Sheikh Mohammed chaired a Cabinet meeting in which ministers set out plans for a “new package of national legislation, policies and incentives for women”.

He was speaking after the Cabinet met at the General Women’s Union in Abu Dhabi, in keeping with ministers’ practice of touring the country.

Sheikh Mohammed reiterated that women are a “crucial element” in the workplace and society’s development.

The Cabinet ordered a study of gender equality in co-operation with the International Monetary Fund to ensure global standards are being adhered to. They also set out measures to improve Emirati women’s participation in advanced sciences and to provide

mandatory prenatal and postnatal services for women.

Health services will encompass the care of elderly women, including those with special needs, and provide home nursing services.

A third of the Cabinet are women and there are a growing number of women ambassadors – seven at present – while almost 40 per cent of staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation are female.

There were 11 women judges in Abu Dhabi and there are several in Dubai’s courts.

Two thirds of university graduates are women, but the official UAE Human Development Report in June stated there were about 135,000 Emirati women in the workforce in 2015 compared with about 207,000 men.