BMMI is proud of recent advancements regarding legislation for consolidating the rights of women, which have recently been amended by Bahrain’s parliament. This legislation is particularly important, as it more closely aligned with the United Nation’s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Major reforms have been made in granting women equal rights in relation to passing on their nationality to their children. Additionally, the reforms also included freedom of movement and choice of residence.

There is no denying that women have always played a vital role in the national economy, impacting it in all aspects. According to a 2014 Goldman Sachs study, when women’s spending and decision-making power increases, they affect consumer household spending on things like family welfare. This ultimately has implications for the apparel, food, consumer durables, healthcare sectors and so forth. Nonetheless, companies with women in leadership also outperform their competitors, finding a 55% increase in average company earnings according to a McKinsey study.

Being progressive in the domain of women’s rights has been central to progression in Bahrain over the years. The kingdom’s commitments to uphold equality supports its vision of making the country a central hub for diverse populations. As part of empowering women in all fields, this requires a holistic and integrated approach towards gender equality in order to enshrine the rights of all citizens. Through improved coordination and the removal of structural siloes, it is necessary to demonstrate full accountability and to share commitments in setting goals towards achieving new strides in empowerment and development.

BMMI believes that gender equality and mainstreaming is not merely just about adding a women’s component into a given activity, it goes beyond that. We are committed to continue to look into our organisation and processes to transform internal social structures into equal structures for women and men alike.