Bahraini Woman’s Day is celebrated annually on December 1st as part of an initiative by HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) to honor the achievements and valuable insights and contribution made by Bahraini women towards the development and progress of the Kingdom of Bahrain. 

The initiative expresses the importance of gender diversity and that both men and women should stand together in developing the various systems in the Kingdom. On this day several institutions, organizations as well as ministries celebrate the tremendous vital role women play in developing the services, organizations and overall efficiency. Several workshops, classes, seminars as well as conferences are held in line with the celebration of this day.  

Each year, the Supreme Council of Women honor several women in a certain field. This year the celebration showcased Bahraini women’s achievements in the higher education and future sciences field.  The ceremony was held in the Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa hall, at the University of Bahrain.  

The statics and indicators of Bahraini women show the vital role they play in different fields – 8% women representation at the Council of representatives, 22.5% women’s representation percentage at the Shura council. The Bahraini women working in the public sector reached up to 48% while the percentage of women working in the financial intermediation institutions is 36%.  

7% of the Information Affairs Authority’s workforce is women. With a percentage of 59%, Bahrain achieved the highest-level regarding women’s participation in the middle management positions in the Middle East and North Africa. 

There were several events leading up to the main celebration organized by the Supreme council of women: 

● A Media Rally Competition launched last May with the aim of focusing on effective media productions with regards to women's issues. 

● The Youth Committee at the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) organized a Youth Forum entitled “Women & Social Media” in October. 

● A workshop on “Media Practices: Through content, implementation and accountability” in June. The workshop aimed to enhance the legal education and to build the capacities and skills among media personnel and to improve the media discourse, utilizing such skills while presenting women’s issues. 

● In cooperation with the German Embassy in Bahrain and Deutche Welle Academy, a Media Forum was held entitled “Women’s Portrayal in Arab Media” The forum aimed to establish a media network including women media figures from GCC countries 

● SCW launches the first women’s scientific hackathon to encourage competition and innovation