Authoritarian Agendas and Women's Rights : Genderwashing in the United Arab Emirates

Building on recent scholarship stating that authoritarian regimes, rather than democratic ones, are leading the way in gender equality reforms, this thesis examines the case of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Despite its authoritarian governance, the UAE has implemented significant legal reforms promoting women's rights in recent years. According to Bjarnegård and Zetterberg (2022), such efforts may be part of a broader phenomenon called autocratic genderwashing, where authoritarian governments take credit for advancements in gender equality to appear progressive and democratic, diverting attention from ongoing authoritarian practices and democratic shortcomings to enhance regime legitimacy. This thesis extends their framework by introducing the concept of economic genderwashing, proposing that the UAE’s genderwashing may be less about signaling democratic legitimacy, and more about projecting economic progressiveness to attract international investment and partnerships. Using qualitative content analysis of official documents from the UAE government, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the U.S. Department of State, this thesis analyzes how the UAE presents its gender reforms, and their reception by key international actors. The findings reveal that while the UAE links its gender reforms to certain democratic values, this narrative subtly shifts and prioritizes economic objectives. The findings also indicate that the UAE achieves greater recognition for being economically progressive – supporting the proposed hypothesis. Overall, this thesis contributes to the understanding of how authoritarian states instrumentalize gender reforms to shape international perceptions, offering insights into the intersections of autocratic states, gender equality, and international recognition.