But some participants argued women's future in the energy field was anything but certain.

In a survey conducted during the forum, an overwhelming 86 percent said the biggest challenge for the oil and gas industry was how to retain female workers.

"Mixed opinions are coming through. There is some progress being made, but there are certain issues that are not being addressed. You know, one of them for example is that women are graduating with the right degrees to join the energy industry and indeed most of them are getting the jobs that they want to get in the industry, but one point that has come up this morning is that once they are in an energy company, they are not necessarily receiving the right career planning advice, the right mentoring, the right progression or clarity on where they can go," said Dyala Sabbagh whose Gulf Intelligence company conducted the survey.

The Middle East's growing wealth, rising education standards for women and government efforts to promote more equal opportunities are helping make it easier for women to crack the "glass ceiling", or perceived discrimination against female executives, in future.

Women accounted for 9.8 percent of corporate board seats across the world in 2011, data from U.S.-based research firm GMI Ratings shows. But in the Gulf Cooperation Council - the group of six wealthy oil-exporting countries - they accounted for just 1.5 percent, according to the Dubai-based Institute for Corporate Governance.

The pool of potential women executives is still low. Globally, half of women participate in the labor force, but that number falls to about 20 percent in the Middle East, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Government policies, though, are encouraging more women to have careers as countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE have invested billions of dollars in improving their education systems.

Economic growth is also prompting Gulf states to diversify beyond a heavy dependence on oil and develop large service sectors, creating more opportunities for women outside the traditionally male-dominated oil business.

Female business leaders in the region include National Bank of Kuwait's chief executive officer Sheikha Al Bahar and Suad Al Humaidi, who heads Kuwaiti family conglomerate Al Humaidi Group of Companies.