Prime Highlights:
- UAE women technology leaders are optimistic that digital tools will help improve gender equality and increase women’s influence in leadership.
- Regional initiatives and training programs are empowering women to take on more strategic roles in the tech sector.
Key Facts:
- 91% of women IT leaders in the UAE expect meaningful progress in gender equality within the next five years.
- In Saudi Arabia, women’s labor force participation reached 36.3% in early 2025, surpassing national targets ahead of schedule.
Background:
Women technology leaders in the UAE are confident that new digital tools can help promote gender equality, even though structural challenges remain. A recent Cloudera survey shows that 91% of women IT leaders in the UAE expect real progress in gender equality over the next five years.
Nearly half of the surveyed professionals voiced concerns about the shortage of women in senior technical positions, while 44% warned that limited representation could allow bias to persist in decision-making systems. The absence of opportunities at the top was highlighted by 52% as a key barrier, and 84% stressed the need for organisations to expand specialised training programmes for women.
Eman Gammoh, Head of AI at Arab Bank, noted the growing impact of women in shaping the region’s digital future. “Women are not only participating; we are key drivers, fundamentally shaping the future of strategy and governance,” she said.
Cloudera’s Chief AI Architect, Manasi Vartek, added that trusted digital transformation requires both strong technical foundations and workforce development: “If organisations want solutions they can trust, they need two things: a unified data foundation and targeted training for women in technical and leadership tracks.”
The UAE’s outlook aligns with broader trends across the Middle East, where governments are pushing forward with gender-inclusive development. The UAE Gender Balance Council reports that women account for 70% of all university graduates and 56% of STEM graduates at public universities. In early 2025, 36.3% of women in Saudi Arabia were part of the workforce, exceeding the country’s targets ahead of time. Oman is also expanding women’s roles in diplomacy and international organisations as part of its long-term equity plans.
Corporate sentiment is evolving in parallel. A recent KPMG report shows that 78% of women business leaders in the Middle East are optimistic about future growth, though nearly half say clearer strategies on technology and sustainability are needed. Despite accelerated innovation, many companies continue to prioritise talent development, with 60% reporting higher investment in people than in technology.
Two-thirds of respondents said gender equality is often treated as a formality, and 64% pointed to limited training opportunities as a major barrier. Experts warn that without more women in leadership, technology could worsen inequalities instead of fixing them.
