Resurgenceof Women's Empowerment in the Middle East

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Friday, 15 December 2023

Women’s empowerment and growth has been undergoing a renaissance of sorts in the Middle East lately. Historically known to be a male dominated society, the Middle East has seen women’s underrepresentation the work sphere for years. A 2022 report by Heidrick & Struggles concluded that standing at three percent of female leaders, the Middle East lags behind in gender diversity as compared to the global average of seven percent.

However, swift action is being undertaken by the region’s governments and companies to foster gender balance in the workforce and boost women’s participation as leadership figures. A recent survey revealed that 61 percent of UAE’s workforce is positive about women leaders’ impact on organizational success. 39 percent of responders in the same survey envision the future top leader of their current organization to be female.

Other than perception, positive change has been set in motion on ground too. Q1 of 2023 saw women’s participation grow manifolds in the workforce. The numbers well exceeded GCC’s vision 2030 targets with Saudi Arabia clocking 37 percent women representation, the highest in the region.

Women leaders in the Middle East need to lauded for their pioneering work in setting the right examples as role models for inclusive growth. The current edition of Women Entrepreneur magazine takes a step in that direction by highlighting some of the prolific women from the Middle East.

On the cover we have Yasmeen Al Jalal, Managing Director & Founder, Shuwaikh Economic Office. Yasmeen Al Jalal started Shuwaikh Economic Office, a Kuwait-based research and analytics firm in 2020 and is currently working as the Managing Director & Founder at the firm. She is also working at her family’s business, Nasco, a regional consumer trading company specializing in luxury goods, in parallel. Yasmeen has done her MSc in Local Economic Development from the London School of Economics and her B.Sc in Economics & Management from King’s College London.

We also highlight the story of Kanmani Karanchery, Legal Head, Enrule Legal Consultancy. Hailing from Kerala, India, Kanmani's journey is a testament to her passion to learn and unwavering commitment to overcome challenges. Punctuality and perfectionism are synonymous with Kanmani’swork ethic, driving her vigorous pursuit of excellence in the legal profession. She secured the top position in BA Functional English and earned the prestigious second rank in LLB.

Read more about these women leaders and their rise to success.

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