UAE opens doors to women in business

With a thriving, fast-paced economy that is constantly changing, the UAE is becoming the destination for start-ups and various new businesses. The buzz and luxurious high life of Dubai have always been an attractive proposition for all. Add to that, new government initiatives for supporting women entrepreneurs, respect and receptiveness towards women, encouraging certain sectors with aids and the overall upgrade in growth markets are intoxicating. Every smart, intelligent and creative woman must want to take advantage of the positive environment that is being created. 

The UAE was ranked third on the inaugural 2015 Islamic Growth Markets Investments Index, which ranks countries' investment potential relative to other members within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. 

According to an article published on the UAE embassy website: "Emirati women account for 71.6 per cent of students in government tertiary level institutions and for 50.1 per cent of students in private higher education. The 2007 United Nations Development Program status report on Millennium Development Goals recognised the positive outcome of the UAE's target-oriented policies in a number of areas, including women's empowerment. It particularly noted that state legislations in the UAE do not discriminate on the basis of gender with respect to education, employment or the quality of services provided." 

Government support for SMEs nurtures the growth of female entrepreneurship in the UAE. The Ro'Ya initiative, for example, run by MasterCard and the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) invited business owners to present their proposals before a panel of judges, with the chance of receiving a year-long mentorship programme with networking opportunities and support for start-ups. 

In Abu Dhabi, the Women's Association (AD-WA) is concerned with women's employment in two ways. Firstly, it operates an employment exchange to assist women to find employment. Sometimes, training is organised for the women to prepare them to meet the job profile. 

Source: Khaleej Times