ABU DHABI — A new federal labor law to ensure equal wages for women and men in private sectors in the United Arab Emirates will come into force on Friday (Sept. 24), the state news agency WAM reported on Thursday. The new law, which was issued by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Aug. 25 this year, stipulates equal wages for women and men in the private sector. "Female employees shall receive wages equal to that of males if they perform the same work or another of equal value. The procedures, controls, and standards necessary for evaluating work of equal value will be set under a decision to be issued by the Cabinet, based on a proposal from the Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation," the law states. The amended article supports the objective of reinforcing gender equality in terms of wages and salaries in the private sector, as per the law. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation stressed that the new amendments will help strengthen the country's regional and international status for upholding gender equality. The UAE leads the region's countries in bridging the gender pay gap, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report in 2020. The new government procedures and controls will determine the requirement of equal wages for jobs of equal value without differentiating gender and market standards will be used as a reference in wage assessments.
