Last September, the UAE issued a presidential decree enforcing equal pay for men and women in the private sector for the first time, which has been hailed as a major step towards advancing the country's rank on the World's Gender Equality Index.
Keen on further advancing female empowerment, the UAE President has issued a law ensuring that women receive equal pay as men in the private sector. The law comes into effect from tomorrow across the UAE.
— Manal MR AL Maktoum (@MMbinRashid) September 24, 2020
The law had already been approved by the UAE cabinet in April 2018 but did not come into effect until the fall of 2020.
Being one of the region's highest countries in terms of women's participation in the workforce (51% compared to 93% of men), it was about time that the UAE government passes the equal pay law.
Granting women the same pay men get as long as they perform the same work or another with the same value, the new law has followed a previous one that had ensured equal pay for women in the public sector.
UAE employers, employees welcome equal pay decree in the private sector https://t.co/h0yUet8Yk0
— Gulf News (@gulf_news) September 25, 2020
Every year, more and more countries seem to work towards ensuring that women no longer face gender discrimination in the workplace, as they realize the importance of full inclusion of women in the workforce, for the following reasons;
- Equal pay ensures the protection of women's rights and supports their role in the process of national development.
- It helps alleviate women's social status as society starts to see them more as equals rather than second-class citizens.
- It strengthens the country's regional and international status in terms of gender equality.
What other steps do you think the UAE should take next in order for it to achieve a higher level of equality between men and women?
