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H.E. Mohammed Saif Al Hameli: Emirati women are among the soft power that entrench the UAE’s position regionally and globally


•The UAE government is exerting efforts to phase out all challenges that face women's employment in the private sector


•GPSSA statistics confirm that women represent 64.36% of contributors


•The pension law provides equal rights and obligations to both women and men 


•The pension law grants women privilege’s compatible with the nature of their roles in community service


Abu Dhabi, 27 August 2022: His Excellency Mohamed Saif Al Hameli, Director General of the General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) stressed that Emirati women are among the soft power that have contributed to entrenching the UAE's position regionally and globally. This comes as a result of the UAE government's interest to empower women across all fields where females occupy high leadership positions and partake pivotal roles that demonstrate their significant expertise and efficiency.



On the occasion of Emirati Women’s Day, which falls on the 28th of August of each year, GPSSA’s Director General extended his sincere gratitude to Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood & Childhood and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, ‘Mother of the Nation’ and to all mothers and young women, and wished the occasion brings happiness and prosperity to everyone.


His Excellency underscored the key role played by the government to diversify and create more job opportunities for Emiratis in the private sector, and to catalyze employers to appoint UAE nationals by bearing part of the contribution due from employees on monthly bases, stating that the government bears 2.5% of the contributions owed by the employer in the private sector according to the Pensions Law. The value of this support during 2021 amounted to approximately Dh87.7 million 


Al Hameli honored three women working in different fields in the government and private sectors. The first honor was given to Maryam Ali Ibrahim from the Emirates Foundation for School Education for her 41 years of service period. GPSSA also honored Huda Hussein Al-Marri from the United Bank Limited for her 31-year service period, as well as Sawsan Al-Zaabi who worked at the UAE’s Pension Authority for 28 years before her retirement. 



Commenting on the occasion, Huda Al-Marri said: "This honor is considered a tribute and is a message to all Emirati woman representing official entities in the nation. The UAE values the efforts of women and appreciates the amount of sacrifice they invest in order to raise the status of the country and build its generations. It is an incentive that drives me and other Emirati women to always provide the best in order to serve our beloved nation.”


On the other hand, Maryam Ibrahim said: “Working for the homeland is an honor and a merit for every Emirati. We only return a part of the favor to this nation and its leadership, which spares no effort in providing all means of care and attention to nationals and their families. I take this opportunity and on behalf of every Emirati woman to pledge to work with loyalty and provide all efforts to the UAE with love, dedication and sincerity.”


Sawsan Al-Zaabi pointed out that the best honor is the one that comes from partners, which proves that every effort that has been exerted will one day be recognized and appreciated. She added that these values are rooted in our souls daily through such initiatives that encourage happiness and make a person feel valued in delivering what’s best for the nation and its people.


GPSSA statistics show that women represent 64.36% of its contributors, which reflects the number of female employees working in the federal government sector, where women recorded 24,833 female contributors compared to 9,896 male contributors, representing 71.50% of the total contributors. In the local government sector, the number of female contributors reached 15,559, compared to the number of males, which amounted to 13,937, representing 52.74% of the total contributors. These figures indicate a clear superiority to women and at the same time prove that they are significant partners in promoting the nations development process.


The pension law does not differentiate between women and men in terms of retirement years, offering both genders equal rights and obligations. However, the law singles out women with some advantages in appreciation of the social role they play in the community; while a man can buy five years of legal service, a woman can buy ten years, and each year purchased offers an increase in pension of 2% if a woman wants to retire after spending 20 years in service.


Additionally, the general rule in the law states that it is not permissible to combine two pensions in the authority or between a pension and a salary received by the insured from any other party in the UAE if the conditions for combining are not met. However, the law permits a widow to combine her pension with that of her husbands, or her salary from work and her share of his pension contributions. The law provides equal opportunities for both males and females when distributing the pension to beneficiaries since the pension is not considered a legal inheritance and guarantees a daughter’s rights to obtain an equal share in the inheritance to that of her brothers. 


It is worth noting, that the son remains in the pension until he reaches the age of 21 or 28 years if he is studying, while the daughter remains in the pension regardless of her age just as long as she fulfills the eligibility conditions, i.e. a female share in the pension is detained in case she becomes employed, gets married, divorced or widowed, in which case a share is created via GPSSA’s treasury without prejudice to the shares of other beneficiaries.