Qatar celebrates Gulf's highest rates of women in work

Fifty-one percent of women in Qatar are in the workforce, research by a global management consultant firm At Kearney has found.

Female employment in the largest two GCC countries, Saudi Arabia and Oman, stands at below 30 percent.

Compared with two decades ago, more women are in education or in the workforce across the GCC, the study has found.

Opportunities for women in the Gulf are improving, despite coming at a slower pace than much of the rest of the world.

In a region known for its patriarchal structure, multiple initiatives, from social media drives to government policies, have attempted to further women's participation in public life.

Earlier this month, the Creative for a Cause campaign launched in the Gulf region to help encourage women to pursue their ambitions.

"I believe that there are no limits to what a woman can imagine and achieve," campaign ambassador Fadia al-Taweel told Gulf News.

"The campaign is a great platform for women in the region to embark on their much-awaited journeys," Taweel said.

In February, the UAE announced a major cabinet shakeup, with eight women taking ministerial posts, and more than a quarter of the top government positions being filled by women.

In Saudi Arabia last year, women were given a historic chance to take part in the kingdom's municipal election. The voting was seen as a huge advance for women in the country.