Dubai's beloved ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, just reminded everyone how important women are to making the UAE one of the most powerful and happiest countries in the world.
In honor of International Women's Day, Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as the UAE's vice president and prime minister, thanked all the women who work for him, saying that "most" of his team is composed of women.
He also called on all government Ministers to follow his lead.
Sheikh Mohammed is inspired by women in the UAE
Celebrate women!
The UAE has made significant strides to empower women
From Shaikha Lubna Al-Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, to pilot Mariam Al-Mansouri, who has directed air force missions against ISIS, Emirati women have been empowering each other, breaking barriers and accelerating the UAE's development.
“The woman is half of the society, any country which pursues development should not leave her in poverty or illiteracy. I am on the woman’s side,” Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the UAE said before his death.
Today, two-thirds of governmental employees are female and the first Arab woman to ever chair a national assembly ... yup, you guessed it. She's Emirati too.
Emirati women are making major strides in education as well. More than 40 percent of employed females are university graduates, opposed to just over 20 percent of males. This statistic is even more impressive considering 89.8 of Emirati women were illiterate in 1970, compared with only 7.3 recorded in 2015.
Women are also leading in the work place and in business, with ever-increasing participation in the country's labor force. The UAE has had a 58 percent increase in female entrepreneurs between 2012 and 2016. It's also the first country in the region to make female representation in all governmental boards mandatory.