Inequitable representation of females in professorial roles in universities is well documented internationally, and explained through the use of interesting metaphors such as the ‘leaky pipe’ or the ‘glass ceiling’. Documented reasons for this include the fact that women tend to shoulder most caring responsibilities, are most impacted by leave periods to have and take care of young children, and are less likely to be promoted, all else being equal, into terminal academic ranks. In the Arabian Gulf country of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the situation for female academics is slightly different, in theory, and caring responsibilities may be less contentious due to a plethora of availability of inexpensive childcare and domestic help. Among citizens of these countries, there are also various policies of support that impact on women’s capacity to access education and academia. In this chapter, the status of women in academic professorial and leadership roles in STEM departments and in higher education generally in the United Arab Emirates, is examined in order to draw comparative indications of female representation in higher education. We argue that all evidence indicates that in fact, organisations remain highly gendered, with male professors dramatically outnumbering females across all key universities in the country, and that the reasons for this underrepresentation are more complex than may appear.