Women in the uae are empowered to pursue their dreams, with many leveraging the supportive environment to become industry leaders, experts at the Women of Substance Awards 2018 said.

Speaking at the sidelines of the event, Nayla Al Khaja, the first Emirati woman film director, said that, compared to many developed nations around the world, the UAE had made greater strides in promoting gender equality in the workforce.

"I am really happy to say that although there had previously been some talk on gender equality, the topic and the discussion around it has really gained steam over the past few years," she said. "The UAE has been remarkable in that it got on track way before many other counties in the region. I am very proud to say that although we are a small country, the number of women who graduate from universities in the country is more than the number of men. The UAE also boasts a very large number of women in the workforce across various fields such as medicine, law, and even in the military."

Content creator Alexandra Hirschi also spoke about how the UAE boasts a number of women who are making waves in what were traditionally considered to be male-dominated fields. "The UAE is home to a women-only luxury and supercar club, and it is testament to the country that so many women are part of that extraordinary club. In addition, you have a lot of women working hard and setting up their own businesses, [pursuing] what they are passionate about."

She also noted that it was also heartening and inspiring to see the heavy female participation as the country gears up for Expo 2020. "All this goes to show just how empowered women here in the UAE are."

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