More women employees are joining workplaces and boardrooms across the GCC, with gender equality emerging as a central objective of a wider regional push to strengthen environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. Governments, regulators and private sector actors are increasingly aligning policy reform with philanthropic initiatives designed to support women’s economic participation, leadership and social empowerment. While measurable progress has been achieved in recent years, further efforts are required to consolidate these gains into a lasting, broad-based transformation that extends beyond headline indicators to structural and cultural change.
Across the Gulf, philanthropy is playing an increasingly strategic role in supporting this agenda. Long rooted in traditions of charitable giving through zakat (a payment under Islamic law that is used for charitable or religious purposes) and waqf (charitable endowment), the sector is evolving towards more formalised, outcome-driven models that complement national development strategies. Zakat encourages all Muslims to give a portion of their wealth to those in need. Women’s empowerment has become a prominent focus area, particularly as policymakers recognise its contribution to productivity, social cohesion and long-term economic resilience.
Reform Efforts
The UAE has worked for years to boost women’s participation in the workforce, guided by the UAE Gender Balance Council. This approach has combined legislative reform, public sector leadership, and collaboration with philanthropic and civil society actors to reinforce social impact. In 2019 the UAE implemented a series of reforms, including the prohibition of gender-based discrimination in employment and the removal of sector-based job restrictions for women, as reflected in amendments to federal labour legislation. These changes were complemented by initiatives supported by family foundations and corporate philanthropies, which have funded training, mentorship and leadership programmes for Emirati women entering both public and private sector roles.
More recently, in 2021 a broad-based reform package was implemented that included the MENA region’s first provision of paid parental leave in the private sector – available to both women and men employees – and labour legislation was amended to ensure equal pay for work of equal value. Philanthropic organisations have increasingly aligned with these reforms, supporting awareness campaigns and employer-led initiatives to promote inclusive workplace cultures.
Gender Equality
Such initiatives have begun to pay off. The World Bank’s “Women, Business and the Law” 2024 report measured economic opportunities in 190 countries through eight indicators – such as workplace, pay, entrepreneurship, mobility and pension – reflecting women’s interactions with the law during their careers. Saudi Arabia had a score of 71.3 out of 100, on par with Djibouti and Senegal and slightly ahead of Indonesia. The Kingdom’s score has ticked up slightly since 2020, when it scored 70.6.
The UAE has continued to strengthen its position on gender equality, and in the 2024 UN Development Programme’s Gender Inequality Index, the country ranked 12th globally and first in the Arab world, reflecting gains across empowerment and labour market participation. “[ESG considerations] must be addressed at the boardroom level, and more effort is needed to bridge the disconnect between male and female circles to include women leaders,” Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, CEO of Abu Dhabi-based Alliances for Global Sustainability, told OBG. Philanthropy has reinforced this momentum by funding women-focused leadership networks, impact investment platforms and social enterprises. Increasingly, these initiatives are designed not only as standalone charitable activities, but as part of blended finance and ESG strategies that seek both measurable social returns alongside financial sustainability.
Multidimensional Approach
The Kingdom is also working to increase women’s representation in the workforce, with philanthropy emerging as a complementary force to government-led reform. “Saudi Arabia recognises that it has a large, untapped pool of talent. There is plenty of work being done to leverage this asset, as empowering women is a goal of Vision 2030,” Lilac Ahmad Al Safadi, president of the Saudi Electronic University, told OBG.
Saudi Arabia has implemented a number of measures designed to expand women’s economic inclusion, including reforms to labour law, family law and mobility regulations. Alongside these reforms, philanthropic foundations and semi-governmental entities have expanded funding for women’s education, skills development and entrepreneurship. Women’s labour participation in the Kingdom reached a high of 36.2% in the third quarter of 2024, with the employment-to-population ratio for women rising to around 31.3%, according to the General Authority for Statistics’ Labour Market Statistics, reflecting continued expansion of women’s economic participation and exceeding earlier Vision 2030 targets.
In the same period, young Saudi women saw improved workforce engagement, while the number of women in senior roles and entrepreneurial activity also rose, underscoring broader structural shifts in workforce dynamics. On the legal and regulatory front, the World Bank’s “Women, Business and the Law” 2024 report assigns Saudi Arabia an overall score of 71.3 out of 100, down from previous editions but still above MENA’s average, in part due to protections in mobility, workplace and entrepreneurship frameworks. In addition to expanding participation in the workplace, the new measures aim to boost entrepreneurship among women, an area where philanthropy and social finance have played a particularly prominent role.
“Microbusinesses are an often-overlooked segment of the economy, despite generating a notably positive social impact – particularly in relation to the economic empowerment of women,” Ibrahim Al Rashid, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Social Development Bank, told OBG. “However, Saudi Arabia is increasingly paying attention to the segment.” Indeed, the number of women entrepreneurs in the Kingdom is reported to have increased. According to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s “Saudi Arabia Women’s Report 2023-24”, nearly 23.2% of Saudi women now participate in start-up activity, with women’s established business ownership reaching around 14% in 2023, a marked increase from earlier years and indicative of narrowing gender gaps in business formation and ownership. In addition, 34% of women in the country identify as entrepreneurs – a strong indicator of growing ambition and participation – and that 90% of women-led businesses expect revenue growth over the next five years, underscoring optimism about business prospects among women founders.
On the talent pipeline, women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education has risen sharply, with recent reports showing that women now comprise nearly 40% of engineering students at major Saudi universities and women’s enrolment in computer science and IT programmes increasing substantially in the first half of the decade. While women remain a minority in STEM-based professions, the gender balance is beginning to change.
GCC Perspective
Elsewhere in the GCC, similar dynamics are unfolding, albeit at varying speeds and scales. In Qatar philanthropy has increasingly focused on education, leadership and social innovation, with women playing a prominent role both as beneficiaries and decision-makers within institutions such as Qatar Foundation. Programmes have emphasised women’s participation in research, entrepreneurship and community development, aligning social impact with national human capital objectives.
In Kuwait women have long played an active role in philanthropy through family foundations and via civil society organisations. While labour market participation rates remain lower than in some neighbouring countries, philanthropic initiatives have sought to address several of the barriers to employment by funding training programmes, child care solutions and workplace inclusion initiatives.
Oman and Bahrain have likewise seen growing engagement from philanthropic and semi-governmental actors in promoting women’s empowerment. In Bahrain initiatives supported by Tamkeen have focused on financial inclusion and small and medium-sized enterprise development for women, while in Oman charitable organisations have supported vocational training and rural women’s economic participation. Across these GCC markets, the professionalisation of the philanthropy sector has been accompanied by a stronger emphasis on measurement and accountability. Donors are increasingly aligning giving strategies with ESG frameworks, recognising that gender equality is not only a social objective but also a driver of economic performance and institutional resilience.
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