Empowering gulf women in labor law: Is it moving toward international standards or remaining subject to social traditions?

Empowering women in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries through labor laws is essential for achieving sustainable development and eliminating discrimination against women. Providing decent work for all without discrimination based on gender is an issue that has transcended national sovereignty and become an international matter. Although there have been previous studies on women's work in the Gulf countries, they primarily focus on the issue of non-discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia. The article fills a research gap by examining the alignment of labor laws in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with international standards. Some of these laws prohibit women from working at night due to social traditions and do not grant them sufficient maternity leave. Additionally, there is no provision for workplace sexual harassment in some labor laws, despite Gulf countries signing the CEDAW with few reservations not related to women's work. The article concluded that there is gender-based discrimination against women in some labor laws in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The article recommends that legislators in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries amend women's labor regulations to align with the principle of equality and international labor standards.