Women in the UAE are completing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) courses at higher rates than men, even though fewer women are enrolling in these programmes, according to a new report by Coursera.
The findings come from the report “One Year Later: The Gender Gap in GenAI,” which shows that while participation among women remains relatively low in the UAE, those who do enrol tend to complete courses more frequently than male learners.
Completion gap
The report found that women in the UAE complete GenAI courses at a rate 2.4 percentage points higher than men.
However, women currently make up only 24% of GenAI enrolments in the country. Their share of enrolments has also declined by about 1% year-on-year, suggesting the participation gap has widened.
According to the report, this indicates that the main barrier may be entry into AI learning pathways rather than performance once learners begin.
Global trends
Globally, female participation in GenAI learning has increased. Women accounted for 36% of GenAI enrolments in 2025, up from 32% in 2024. Among enterprise learners, the share rose from 36% in 2024 to 42% in 2025, reflecting wider adoption of AI skills across workplaces.
Completion rates are often used as an indicator of engagement and skill development, and the higher completion rate among women suggests strong follow-through once access barriers are addressed.
Course design
The report also found that beginner-level GenAI courses that focus on practical applications tend to attract more female learners.
For example, the introductory course in the Google AI Essentials series has recorded 41.2% female enrolment and attracted more than 250,000 female learners worldwide. The course is designed without prerequisites and focuses on practical uses of AI tools.
Courses that highlight applications in areas such as education, productivity and workplace tasks have also seen female participation approach parity in some cases.
Dr. Alexandra Urban, Learning Science Research Lead at Coursera, said: “Across our data, we see a clear pattern: when women in the UAE gain access to GenAI learning, they not only keep pace with men — they often outperform them in completing courses. This tells us the issue is not capability or motivation, but access and opportunity. Closing the gap means making GenAI relevant to real jobs, easy to start, and visibly welcoming to women at every stage of their careers. If those conditions are in place, the UAE has an enormous pool of motivated and resilient women ready to help shape the country’s AI-powered future.”
The report notes that increasing women’s participation in GenAI learning could support the UAE’s broader plans to strengthen its digital workforce and expand AI capabilities.
It suggests several measures to encourage participation, including beginner-friendly courses with clear real-world applications, improved representation in learning content, and partnerships that expand access to AI education.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
