Index of Life Expectancy for Emirati Women in Dubai Stands at 80 Years
Emirati Women Excel in Health and Education Sectors
A special report recently released by the Dubai Statistics Center (DSC) revealed that 13% of the Emirati women working in Dubai held top senior positions (in the senior employee and manager categories). The report further highlighted that 33.4% of these women work in specialized occupations.
Commenting on the findings of the report, Afaf Ahmed Bo Assibah, Director of the Economic Statistics Department, stated: "Such figures confirm the success of government policies developed with the aim of achieving gender balance. Indeed, the Emirati woman has become one of the key pillars towards achieving development in all regions of the UAE." She pointed out that these figures emphasized the success of Emirati women's in various fields of leadership, professional posts, management and entrepreneurship.
"UAE society has become an ideal model for positive partnerships between, and integration of, the roles of men and women in various fields. The UAE was founded upon the principles advocated by the nation's founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may his soul rest in peace. The UAE's wise leadership went on to implement constructive policies and strategies that support these principles unto this very day," stated Bo Assibah.
Emirati Women's Sustained Economic Participation
Afaf Ahmed Bo Assibah pointed out that the net rate of Emirati women's economic participation in Dubai (labor force rates from the population aged 15 years and above) rose by 1.7 % in 2017 compared to 2016 increasing from 35.8% to 37.5%. "It is a gradual increase in the sustained rate of Emirati women's participation in the Dubai labor market," she stressed.
Life Expectancy Index
Bo Assibah also revealed that the UAE is still achieving remarkable rates comparable to the international rates realized by other developed countries in the index of women's life expectancy at birth. "In the Emirate of Dubai, the average of life expectancy of Emirati women at birth was established to be 80 years in 2017, i.e. Emirati women are expected to live nearly 80 years from the date of their birth," she said. She commented on the reasons behind such a remarkable result and attributed this to a generally high quality of life as well as the level of services provided to women, such as health care, nutrition and welfare.
Education and Health
Bo Assibah underscored the fact that Dubai's statistical reports show that Emirati women achieved superior and outstanding performance in several strategic sectors, such as education and health. She pointed out that in Dubai, the percentage of female Emirati teachers rose from 97.1% in the academic year 2015-2016 to 97.8% in the academic year 2016-2017 - compared to the total number of male Emirati teachers during the same two academic years.
The percentage of female Emirati medical doctors and dentists working in DHA hospitals and centers was 79.6% of the total number of Emirati doctors and dentists in DHA hospitals and centers in 2017.
Statistics show that all Emirati nursing staff working in DHA hospitals and centers are Emirati women. Emirati females also outnumbered males in the fields of pharmacy and other technical positions. They comprised 94.7% and 93.0% respectively out of the total number of Emirati nationals specializing in pharmacy and other technical professions in DHA hospitals and centers.
From the data, it's crystal-clear that there is an exceedingly higher percentage of Emirati women working in the private health sector compared to Emirati male workers in this sector. The percentage of Emirati women working in the private health sector ranged from 65.0- 66.0% during 2016 and 2017.
Educational Levels
Commenting on the remarkable achievement of Emirati women in the aforementioned specialized professions which require scientific qualifications, the Director of the Economic Statistics Department attributed this to the marked increase in the number of Emirati women who reside in Dubai and hold bachelor's degrees (or higher) in various disciplines. "This has boosted the level of Emirati women's economic participation in terms of the highest levels of efficiency and skill required by the labor market," she remarked. Bo Assibah stated that in 2017 the percentage of Emirati females holding a bachelor's degree (or higher) stood at 29.0% of the total female Emiratis residing in Dubai. She highlighted the fact that the gap in the number of Emirati males holding bachelor's' degrees (or higher) is also in favor of Emirati females (where the gap increased to 2.3 %).
Female Emirati Employees
The number of Emirati women working in the Emirate of Dubai increased from 28,668 in 2016 to 29,596 in 2017, accounting for 36.9% of the total number of Emirati workers residing in Dubai in that period. "Reasons behind such a significant increase are attributed to an increase in the numbers of Emirati women who enjoy high scientific qualifications - with 52.8% of the total number of Emirati women working in Dubai holding a bachelor's degree (or higher)," explained Bo Assibah.
DSC Employee Happiness Rises to 98%
Winning the Happiest Employees Award of Dubai Government Excellence Program six times in a row (along with numerous regional and international awards) for excellence in the work environment and employees happiness, Raisa Al Jezairi, Director of Human Resources Department, revealed how the happiness levels of female employees hit record levels, currently standing at 97.51%. She commented on factors that led to such significant and unprecedent levels by saying: "This record percentage is attributed to the high attention and great efforts exerted by DSC to achieve the highest levels of excellence in the work environment and the happiness of our human capital in general - and female employees in particular. This has been achieved by furnishing all the elements that stimulate success and comfort as well as through considering their professional and social needs in line with our cultural heritage, in addition to providing the full support needed by all female employees to realize their aspirations," she reported. She went on to emphasize: "We are proud of our work environment and our achievements."
The Human Resources Director added that women have been key players in all DSC's achievements since its establishment. "Emirati women are involved in all leadership, engineering, administrative, professional and technical positions. On top of their success in these professions, Emirati women proved to be successful in our core business, field statistics," she remarked.
She indicated that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, honored the first official Emirati woman working as a field statistician, Shamsa bin Harib, in the Dubai Government's Excellence award ceremony. She signed off with: "We are also proud to announce that Afaf Bo Assibah and Ramla Al Wahidi recently won the Stevie International Award for Outstanding Women under the "Extraordinary" Category."