Kuwaiti Females and Vision 2035: Ambitious Goals Unmet as Advancement Remains Slow
In a bid to achieve the goals set by Kuwait Vision 2035, the government is taking significant steps to empower women and increase their participation in senior leadership roles. The slow pace of change, attributed to institutional barriers, a lingering organisational culture, and a lack of effective policies, is being addressed through a series of initiatives focusing on education, entrepreneurship, leadership training, and policy support.
One such initiative is the Kuwait University’s Women’s Research & Studies Center Strategy, launched in 2025. This strategy includes training programs, seminars, workshops, community awareness campaigns, and an annual conference focused on women’s roles in development. The strategy emphasises a sustainable economy with women’s labour participation and entrepreneurship, social justice and gender equality, and creative human development. Empowering female university students is a key focus, with the aim of nurturing future leaders.
Another strategic move is the National Bank of Kuwait's (NBK) RISE Leadership Initiative. This pioneering global leadership program is designed to elevate women to higher leadership positions, offering partnerships with other major organisations and educational institutions to provide mentoring and leadership development. This program is a strategic step towards increasing female representation in corporate decision-making, contributing to Kuwait Vision 2035's goals of inclusion, diversity, and sustainable economic growth.
Support for women entrepreneurs is also a key focus. Initiatives like "She’s Next" by Visa and NBK provide Kuwaiti women entrepreneurs with grants (up to $50,000), training, digital readiness, leadership development, and network access. Other platforms such as KWEEP offer mentorship and leadership bootcamps to help women advance in the workplace. These programs are critical for enhancing women-led businesses and startups, supported by Kuwait Vision 2035’s emphasis on private-sector dynamism and women's economic leadership.
The government is also promoting social awareness about gender equality and the developmental role of women. This includes collective societal efforts to foster cooperation between genders for community development and sustainable progress.
Despite these initiatives, women's representation in senior positions in Kuwait currently stands at about 28%. Kuwaiti women have been a cornerstone of the country's economic and social development agenda for over a decade. However, experts and observers argue that Kuwait's development goals cannot be fully achieved without bold, decisive actions to empower women. The gap between ambition and reality in terms of women's economic empowerment in Kuwait remains evident.
Comparatively, Saudi Arabia has seen a dramatic rise in women’s workforce participation, from 18% in 2017 to 35% in 2022, due to targeted policies and programs. The success of this vision in Kuwait will depend heavily on the government's next steps in implementing practical solutions that break down systemic barriers and fully integrate Kuwaiti women into the heart of the economic transformation. The true test of Kuwait's commitment to Vision 2035 will be in transforming policy into practice, ensuring women are equal partners in national development.
[1] Kuwait University’s Women’s Research & Studies Center Strategy: https://www.wrc.kuni.edu.kw/ [2] NBK RISE Leadership Initiative: https://www.nbk.com/en/rise [3] KWEEP: https://www.kwep.org/ [5] She’s Next by Visa and NBK: https://www.visa.com/about-visa/newsroom/stories/2021/she-s-next-kuwait-empowering-women-entrepreneurs.html
- The Kuwait University's Women's Research & Studies Center Strategy, launched in 2025, focuses on empowering women and nurturing future leaders through a comprehensive approach that includes education, training programs, seminars, workshops, community awareness campaigns, and an annual conference, all aimed at achieving sustainable economic growth, social justice, and gender equality. (Reference: Kuwait University’s Women’s Research & Studies Center Strategy)
- The National Bank of Kuwait's (NBK) RISE Leadership Initiative is a pioneering global program designed to elevate women to higher leadership positions, providing mentoring, leadership development, grants, training, digital readiness, and network access to Kuwaiti women entrepreneurs, contributing to women's economic leadership and private-sector dynamism. (Reference: NBK RISE Leadership Initiative)
- Despite the numerous initiatives aimed at empowering women and increasing their representation in senior leadership roles in Kuwait, there is still a significant gap between ambition and reality, with women currently holding about 28% of senior positions. Experts argue that bold, decisive actions are necessary to fully achieve Kuwait Vision 2035's goals of inclusion, diversity, and sustainable economic growth. (Reference: general-news)
