The Kingdom of Bahrain is an island country in Western Asia. The country, situated in the Persian Gulf, comprises a small archipelago made-up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands. Bahrain was the first country to develop a post oil economy in the Persian Gulf region. This was a result of decades of investment in banking and tourism sectors. In 2008, Bahrain was named the world's fastest growing financial center by the City of London's Global Financial Centres Index. According to the 2020 Index of Economic Freedom, Bahrain has the fourth freest economy in the Middle East & North Africa region and is the 40th freest economy in the world.

Bahraini law is a complicated combination of royal decrees, civil & criminal codes and Sharia law. The secular part of Bahraini law supports women advancement laws, whereas its religious part holds them back. In 1999, the hereditary leader of the country, Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa initiated the improvements of women rights in Bahrain. Bahrain's 2002 constitution set women equal to men, guaranteeing gender equality in political, social and economic spheres, without breaching the provisions of Islamic law. The country has also made great strides for women by joining Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women  (CEDAW), providing its female citizens with adequate healthcare, education and employment opportunities.

All these improvements and law liberalizations over time have improved the lives of women in the country. Today, women are part of both private and public sector companies in the country. More than one-fifth of the working population in the country constitute women, and the government is providing incentives for the employers to hire more women, thus trying to strengthen working women population. Bahraini women are educated, politically powerful and enjoy all economic rights.

In this issue of Women Entrepreneur Magazine, we bring you a list of `Top 10 Women Leaders in Bahrain - 2022'. The following list has been prepared after being closely scrutinized by a distinguished panel of judges including CXOs, analysts and our editorial board.