I 5 Arab Women Who Made History In 2021

Women Leaders

5 Arab Women Who Made History In 2021

From politics to professional sports, 2021 was another milestone year for Arab women. These five claimed record-breaking achievements in 2021.

Ons Jabeur

Country: Tunisia Sector: Sport 2021 was a year of many firsts for the Tunisian tennis star, who became the first Arab to play and win the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in December 2021. In June, Jabeur became the first Arab woman to win a singles title at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in Birmingham. She also became the first Arab player to reach the Top 10 of the WTA singles ranking in October 2021, which she maintained as of January 3, 2022. Jabeur peaked at seventh place, a singles career-high for the Tunisian, on November 1, 2021, compared to 31st place at the start of last year. Jabeur is no stranger to setting records for Arab athletes on the international stage; she was the first Arab woman to win a junior slam a decade ago in 2011. The 27-year-old was listed on Forbes Middle East’s 30 Under 30 in 2021.

Nora Al Matrooshi

Country: U.A.E. Sector: Aerospace Al Matrooshi became the first female astronaut in the U.A.E. and the Arab world upon joining the second batch of the U.A.E. Astronaut Programme in April 2021. Al Matrooshi and Mohammad AlMulla were chosen from 4,000 candidates to train with the NASA space agency for future space missions. In September 2021, Al Matrooshi flew to NASA’s historic Johnson Space Center to train for the 2021 NASA Astronaut Candidate Class, which she officially joined on January 1, 2022. With a background in mechanical engineering, the Emirati’s interest in becoming an astronaut began when she was five years old. In 2022, Al Matrooshi will embark on two years of training at NASA in Houston, Texas, representing Arab women in the global aerospace industry.

Ons Jabeur

Mona Ataya /Leena Khalil

Country: Palestine/Iraq Sector: E-commerce Ataya and Khalil are the cofounders of e-commerce company Mumzworld, which made the largest exit for an all-woman-founded startup in the Middle East when Tamer Group acquired it in June 2021. The Saudi Tamer Group acquired a majority stake in the U.A.E-based online retailer to accelerate its growth, while Ataya remains a board member. Under Ataya and Khalil’s leadership, Mumzworld grew its customer base to 2.5 million mothers in 20 countries across the Middle East. The female-founded platform has raised over $50 million in total funding since it was founded in 2011. In 2021, Ataya and Khalil ranked first on Forbes Middle East’s list of 10 Women Behind Middle Eastern Tech Brands. This year, Ataya will mentor female entrepreneurs in the region under the “eTrade for Women” initiative by the United Nations trade agency (UNCTAD). The entrepreneur was one of six chosen by UNCTAD to support Middle Eastern women in the e-commerce industry.

Najla Bouden

Country: Tunisia Sector: Politics Bouden became the first female prime minister in Tunisia in September 2021, replacing Hichem Mechichi amid Tunisia’s ongoing political and economic crises. Bouden is also the first female head of government of an Arab country. The North African country ranked third in terms of gender quality in MENA in 2021, according to the World Economic Forum. Before her historic appointment, Bouden served as the World Bank Programme Implementation Officer at the Ministry of Higher Education. Bouden transitioned into politics only a decade ago as the Director-General of quality at the Ministry of Higher Education in 2011. She was originally a professor at the Tunis National School of Engineering and holds a PhD in geology.