Women in the United Arab Emirates are completing generative artificial intelligence courses at higher rates than men, even though fewer women are enrolling in such programmes, according to new data from Coursera.
The online learning platform said women in the UAE complete GenAI courses at rates 2.4 percentage points higher than men, suggesting strong persistence among female learners once they begin training in AI-related skills.
The findings were published in Coursera’s report “One Year Later: The Gender Gap in GenAI,” which examines participation trends in AI learning globally.
Despite the higher completion rate, women represent only 24 percent of GenAI enrolments in the UAE, indicating that participation levels remain lower than the global average. The report also noted that women’s share of enrolments in the UAE has declined by 1 percent year-on-year, widening the participation gap.
Globally, women’s participation in GenAI learning has been rising. Women accounted for 36 percent of GenAI enrolments in 2025, up from 32 percent in 2024, according to Coursera. Among enterprise learners, the share increased from 36 percent in 2024 to 42 percent in 2025.
The report suggests that in markets including the Middle East, the main barrier for women may be entry into GenAI learning rather than performance.
Completion rates are often used as an indicator of engagement and skill acquisition in online education. The higher completion rate among women in the UAE suggests that once access barriers are reduced, female learners participate actively in advanced digital training.
Course design also appears to influence participation.
Beginner-level GenAI courses that focus on practical applications have attracted stronger female participation globally. Coursera cited the introductory course in the Google AI Essentials series, which has no prerequisites and has attracted more than 250,000 female learners worldwide, with women accounting for 41.2 percent of enrolments.
Across the platform, GenAI courses focused on areas such as education, productivity tools and workplace integration have in some cases seen female participation approach parity with men.
Dr. Alexandra Urban said the data indicate that women perform strongly in AI learning environments when access is available.
“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,” Urban said.
Coursera said expanding women’s participation in GenAI learning could support workforce development as the UAE advances its digital and artificial intelligence ambitions.
The report outlined measures that could help broaden participation, including beginner-level courses with practical applications, inclusive course design, localisation of learning content and partnerships that expand access to AI training
