42 percent of workforce in UAE aviation sector are women, conference told

42 percent of workforce in UAE aviation sector are women, conference told

DUBAI: About 27,000 women now work in the UAE’s aviation sector, a figure that represents 42 percent of the workforce, the Emirates News Agency reported on Wednesday

Mervat Sultan, president of the Middle East Chapter of Women in Aviation, said the number of women working in the industry is increasing because of active and constructive engagement with women interested in a career in the field.

Speaking at Women in Aviation’s 10th Anniversary Conference in Dubai, Sultan said: “If you want to build your nation, you need to build a generation first. The empowerment of women is essential for betterment of the society.

“For this, women’s education and training are important. We need to educate parents and children as well about employment opportunities in aviation.”

Sultan noted that already, “women are in all areas of aviation, not only as pilots; there are more engineers, air traffic controllers, medical, technical and legal staff.”

Sheikha Mozah bint Marwan Al-Maktoum, a 1st Lt and pilot with Dubai Police Air Wing, told delegates that the gender gap in aviation remains significant and that an effective strategy is required to address the issue.

Delivering the keynote speech, she said that in 2019 she founded Shehana, an association to empower and support women