Slowly but Surely, Status of Women gaining ground in GCC

Gender equality being the paramount importance in recent times, the world as a whole is rushing toward minimize the gender gap, and the GCC region is no Different, as it has put immense efforts towards women empowerment and shaping the world through agile women leaders irrespective to their positions. Women leaders from GCC refers to female leaders and executives from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries, which include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These women are breaking barriers and making large progress in various fields such as business, government, education, healthcare, and more and leading the charge for gender equality and empowering women across the region.

Steps towards Male-dominated Industries

Women leaders from GCC are making significant steps in traditionally male-dominated industries, such as aviation. Akbar Al Baker, the CEO of Qatar Airways, is the first woman to lead a major airline in the world and has been recognized for her efforts to promote gender diversity in the aviation industry. Apart from there are numerous other women leaders who broke the boundary of limit with their abilities, capabilities, hard work and reached the pinnacle of success and definitely made the region proud with their achievements irrespective of the verticals, which deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged.

Gender Equality

Undoubtedly, the women leaders from GCC are making significant strides in various fields, and their contributions are shaping the region's economic and social landscape. Despite the progress made by these women leaders, there is still much work to be done to achieve gender equality in the region. According to the World Economic Forum's 2022 Global Gender Gap Report, the GCC countries rank low in terms of gender parity, with only the UAE and Bahrain ranking in the top 100. However, these women leaders are paving the way for future generations of women and their efforts are slowly but surely changing the status of women in the country.

In this issue, the Women Entrepreneur magazine brings a list of `Top 10 Women Leaders from GCC - ­ 2023', who are domineers of change in the corporate realm of the country. This list of ten leading and inspiring women is crafted by a team of CEOs, VCs, and the editorial board, delivering inspiring stories of their journey and the contributions & roles played by them in the creation and empowerment of an economically powerful nation.