The Gender Balance Council (GBC) is an Emirati federal entity responsible for developing and implementing the gender balance agenda in the United Arab Emirates. [1] [2]
The Council is chaired by Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women Establishment. [3] The Council's responsibility including reviewing current legislation, policies and programs, and proposing or updating new legislation or programs in order to achieve gender balance in the workplace as well as reduce the gender gap across all government sectors, enhance the UAE's ranking in global competitiveness reports on gender equality and achieve gender balance in decision-making positions, as well as promote the UAE's status as a benchmark for gender balance legislation. [1] [3]
In August 2016 the GBC announced the establishment of a committee to review the law and to activate the Gender Balance Index across various sectors. [4] In August 2016,The GBC announced it would review the country's maternity law, and some private sector firms have already enhanced their policies. [5]
In 2019 the organization awarded gender balance index awards – which celebrate efforts to reduce the gender gap within the federal government and to promote equal opportunities to genders. A tweet which celebrated the awards sparked derision on the social media sites as well as media outlets, with critics noting the awards being handed all to men. According to the Gender Balance Council, the awards were handed to the entities head, which happened to be men. [6] [7] [8] [9]
The Gender Balance Council's goal is to achieve female empowerment. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] The GBC's role consists of bridging the gap between women and men and enhancing the UAE's global status in the matter. The GBC undertakes several legal roles, notably review of legislation introduced and policies proposed in the matter of gender balance, but also seeks to balance rights like nationality rights, divorce rights, guardianship and custody rights, inheritance rights, freedom of movement, protection from child, marriage, and protection from gender-based violence. [15] [16]
The hierarchy of the council as of 2019 is as follows: [17]
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