Emirates focuses on embracing equity this International Women’s Day

With a clear mission to forge inclusive work cultures where women's careers thrive and their achievements are celebrated, the Emirates Group is focusing on the 2023 International Women’s Day theme of #EmbraceEquity through discussions on gender equity, record levels of female promotions and providing company-wide access to ‘Unconscious Bias’ training, a company announcement has said.

Released on the occasion of Women's Day, the announcement also revealed more on the airline's practices benefiting female employees.

Women at Emirates Group

More than 23,000 women are employed by the Emirates Group, representing 41% of the total workforce employed at Emirates worldwide and dnata in the UAE. This sizeable number has been on an upward trajectory in 2023 and active recruitment continues. Currently almost 40% of middle and senior management positions across non-operational grades are held by women at Emirates Group.

Emirates recently demonstrated its commitment to gender balance by officially signing the UAE Gender Balance Council’s pledge, supporting the UAE government’s efforts to increase female representation at middle to senior management positions by 2025. The pledge supports the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal to achieve gender equality, empowering all women and girls. As part of the pledge, Emirates agreed to support the UAE Gender Balance Council’s work by sharing data and best practices, as well as maintaining an ongoing internal review of company policies, practices, and procedures.

Pay Equity

As the world’s largest international airline and one of world’s largest air services provider, Emirates and dnata are renowned as one of the best companies to work for in the UAE. Emirates Group pay and benefits structures are free from gender bias, with remuneration offered based on skills and experience, regardless of gender or nationality.

Record Promotions for Women

Celebrating thriving careers, women at Emirates Group account for 56% of total promotions in the last 12 months, the highest figure to date. Emirates Group has many women in leadership roles who have received multiple promotions and worked with the company for more than a decade.

Access to World-Class Training

Emirates Group employees have access to a vast range of educational courses and learning opportunities, as well as in-person training on a range of topics. This International Women’s Day, all employees are being directed to the ‘Unconscious Bias’ learning path on the newly launched Emirates ‘Future Skills’ portal. The bespoke learning journey designed by Emirates, is available to all colleagues and has 6 modules including Break the Bias, Valuing Intersectionality, Women’s Voices, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Allyship and Culture of Belonging. The Human Resources department is leading the way with over 500 HR employees starting the learning journey, and over 70% completion rate so far. Women also have access to a suite of Executive Leadership programmes and the opportunity to complete international educational qualifications, financially supported by the company.

Celebrating Achievements

In addition to promotions, employees can be rewarded with Najm awards - a programme recognising outstanding contributions across the Emirates Group. The aim of Najm is to enhance a sense of belonging and appreciation, enabling employees to feel energised, inspired and empowered to achieve meaningful goals. Najm awards give Emirates Group employees options to redeem cash prizes, travel vouchers, gift cards and more. The Najm award is also recorded in the employee’s official employment record as a career highlight. In the last 12 months, 35% of Najm awards were awarded to women.

Looking to the Future

The Emirates Group recognises that the International Women’s Day theme of #EmbraceEquity is an opportunity to unify direction and galvanize activity, by creating a meaningful framework to amplify action. In signing the UAE Gender Balance Council’s pledge, Emirates Group has committed to introducing more compliance measures to prevent bias in the hiring processes, identifying, developing, and working on the succession of female leaders in the organisation and reviewing policies to prioritise gender equality in practices and procedures.

About International Women's Day

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality. IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 involving over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively, everywhere.