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Middle East’s Rising Force: Arab Women Reshape Government

Abdul Razak Bello April 7, 2025Last Updated: April 7, 2025

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Arab women are transforming government leadership roles. The Forbes Top 20 Arab Women in Government list shows remarkable achievements throughout the region. UAE women dominate the public sector by holding two-thirds of all positions. They lead 30% of leadership roles and contribute to 15% of technical and academic positions.

The UAE stands out with 11 women making it to Forbes’ prestigious list. Saudi Arabia follows with four representatives, while Egypt adds three more accomplished leaders. Saudi Arabia’s Reema Bandar Al-Saud broke new ground by becoming the country’s first female ambassador to the United States in 2019. Forbes created this ranking to recognize leaders based on their role scope, experience and key initiatives in 2024. These achievements demonstrate Arab women’s growing impact on public administration throughout the region.

UAE Emerges as Regional Leader in Women’s Government Representation

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The United Arab Emirates leads the Arab world in women’s governmental representation. The country’s strong showing in the Top 20 Arab Women in Government rankings shows decades of thoughtful policy decisions.

The UAE cabinet has 9 female ministers who hold 27.3% of ministerial positions—among the highest in the region. Systematic reforms have driven this success, including the groundbreaking 2018 law that guarantees equal pay for men and women.

The late H.H. Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s directive required women to hold 50% of the Federal National Council seats. This made the UAE the only country in the MENA region to achieve gender parity in parliament. The UAE now ranks 40th globally in women’s political empowerment, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Gender Gap Report.

Women make up 30% of the UAE’s diplomatic corps, with 234 positions filled by women. Among these, 42 work on missions abroad and 7 serve as ambassadors. The UAE has appointed women to ambassador roles consistently since 2009.

The UAE created the Gender Balance Council in 2015—the first federal-level entity of its kind in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum leads this council to boost gender balance in all sectors.

The UAE Gender Balance Strategy 2026 wants to:

Close economic gender gaps
Ensure equitable health support
Increase social and legal protections
Build stronger international partnerships

This strategy has shown remarkable results. Women now make up 57% of STEM field graduates—one of the world’s highest rates. The government sector’s national workforce is 46% women. More than 22 legislative reforms support these achievements through workplace protections, leadership representation, and financial inclusion.

How Top 20 Arab Women in Government Secured Their Positions

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Career paths of the Top 20 Arab Women in Government show multiple routes to leadership rather than a single track. Academic excellence serves as the life-blood of their achievements. Emirati women’s literacy rates now reach 95.8%. Women make up 70% of university graduates in the UAE, which creates a reliable talent pipeline.

These women gained essential skills through specialized leadership programs. The Arab Leadership Academy for Women provides complete capacity building that encourages peer-to-peer learning and connects different sectors. The Dubai Women Establishment’s “YES!” mentorship program helped 30 young female professionals receive guidance directly from senior Nordic business executives.

Support from family members proved crucial, as many leaders mentioned:

Parents who encouraged them to explore nontraditional career paths
Spouses who adapted to their busy schedules and travel needs
Children who showed pride in their achievements, which boosted their confidence

Changes in policy created new paths to advance. Arab countries used to have the most gender-restrictive workplace rules. Now, targeted programs have opened new possibilities. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 brought labor reforms that broke barriers in engineering, finance, and law enforcement.

All the same, these women faced many challenges, especially when they had to establish credibility. Many spent their first 5-10 minutes in meetings just helping others overcome their biases about women leaders. They learned that exceptional self-confidence helped them push past doubts and let their results speak for themselves.

These exceptional leaders share common traits: they refused to accept limits, stepped beyond their comfort zones, and believed completely in their abilities. Their stories show that while paths may differ, persistence and excellence ended up winning against long-standing barriers in Arab societies.

Arab Women Create Global Impact Through Diplomatic Channels

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Arab women have carved out remarkable paths in international diplomacy, a field men once dominated. Female representation in diplomatic ranks has grown from a mere 0.9% of ambassadorial positions globally in 1968 to 20.54% in 2023. This shows progress, yet gender disparity remains evident.

Women now hold 10% of ambassadorial positions in the Arab world, and several serve as permanent representatives to the United Nations. This marks real progress since the first female Arab ambassador took office in 1933.

Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, stands as a prime example of this diplomatic influence. She made history as the first woman to hold this position in the Kingdom. Her role goes beyond mere representation. She actively shapes Saudi-US relations and describes the partnership as “beyond critically necessary for the world”. She emphasizes at international forums that despite disagreements, the 80-year friendship between both nations creates “a more stable world”.

Studies show the value of such representation. Peace negotiations with meaningful participation from women have a 35% higher chance of lasting at least fifteen years. Yet women’s diplomatic representation has declined from 52 UN representatives in 2020 to 46 today.

Female Arab diplomats face mounting challenges. Violence against women due to war increased by 50% in 2023. Tunisia’s Ambassador to the US, H.E. Hanene Tajouri Bessassi, points out that women leaders’ natural empathy helps build consensus and compromise in diplomatic efforts.

These leaders understand their duty to help other women advance in diplomacy. Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US, H.E. Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah, sees this through initiatives like Kuwait’s Department of Human Rights. Such programs ensure countries follow international principles that enable women’s advancement.

Arab women are changing the Middle East’s government leadership landscape. Their rise to power comes from smart policy changes, excellence in education, and their steadfast dedication to challenge traditional norms.

The UAE’s bold reforms show what targeted changes can achieve. Women now hold 27.3% of ministerial positions and have reached gender equality in parliament. These leaders showed that success happens through many paths – from specialized growth programs to reforms that open doors for advancement.

The diplomatic world especially shows their growing power. Arab women now influence international relations and peace talks. Saudi Arabia’s Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud made history as the U.S. Ambassador. We have a long way to go, but we can build on this progress since women’s representation in diplomacy has recently decreased.

These powerful leaders create paths for future generations. They prove that drive and excellence can break age-old social barriers. Their success stories reshape government leadership and set new benchmarks for gender equality throughout the Arab world.