The UAE joined the
countries of the world in celebration of the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women, which falls on the 25th of November
of each year, the Secretary-General of the United Nations had launched
"Unite to End Violence against Women" campaign, in order to raise the
awareness to this issue over the months and years.
Dr. Maitha Al
Shamsi, Minister of State, during her meeting with media specialists from 54
countries on the occasion of the 43rd National Day, ensured that the
UAE ranked first in the world for treating women with respect, by preserving her
dignity and strengthening her position, according to the findings of the Social
Progress Index 2014, published by the Global Agenda Councils of the World
Economic Forum this year, and it was ranked first in the Arab world for empowerment
of women in leadership and parliaments.
She emphasized the
full support of the UAE to the empowerment of women, by joining the conventions
such as the «Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women», in addition to supporting initiatives and implementation of
projects that encourage gender equality, and continuing to provide support for
the core budget of the United Nations for gender equality and the empowerment
of women, as it pledged to provide five million US Dollars, about 18.5 million
Dirhams, in 2014.
She added that the
female to male ratio in university education in the State amounted to about
136.6%. Besides, the female to male ratio in secondary education in the State reached
about 103.6%, pointing out that it is one of the highest ratios in the world, and
that is due to the State’s support to girls' education, and many other factors.
His Excellency Sheikh "Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan", Minister of
Higher Education and Scientific Research, has recently directed to provide
scholarship opportunities that suit women, encourage them by the academic counselors,
and urge them to pursue their graduate studies in the disciplines required in
the State, in order to continue with the empowerment of Emirati women, who have
fulfilled unprecedented achievements in all areas.
Al Shamsi also
explained that the Emirati woman ranked first globally in the educational
attainment over the past year, according to World Economic Forum Report,
pointing out that the Ministry of Education’s data indicate that females make
up about 53%, and males about 42%, of the total enrolled students in the pre-university
education system, meaning that the female to male ratio in this system amounted
to 112%.
She noted that the current
percentage of females in higher education amounts to about 72% of the students
in public universities, and about 50% of students in universities and
institutes, while the percentage of females in post-graduate education (Master's
and Doctorate degrees) amounts to about 62% at public universities, and about
43% at private universities and institutes, pointing out that the percentage of
females among enrolled students in the university education system during the
past two decades, compared to the percentage of males, amounted to about 144%. Al
Shamsi confirmed that the World Economic Forum report in the Global Gender Gap
2014 revealed the existence of almost complete equality between the two genders
in the UAE, in terms of educational attainment and the level of health care.
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