Women are the key to the UAE’s economic future. Why? Because women contributing to the country’s economy are 70% university graduates and 44% working. Besides, United Arab Emirates is bringing in better opportunities for women to start doing business in Dubai. It has also initiated several women entrepreneur support groups as well as increased funding for female-led projects.
Doing a business in Dubai as a woman can be a great move to bring change in the business community, especially in terms of gender equality. Additionally, there are several reasons to consider Dubai and UAE to start their business career and achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.
Reasons women entrepreneurs should consider doing business in Dubai
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Business environment supporting gender equality
The United Arab Emirates is dedicated to driving equality in the business world. It promotes gender equality greater than any other country in the neighborhood regions. Moreover, the government is also driving initiatives to instigate gender equality in the workforce as well. In 2017, it pledged to donate $50m to the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative fund.
Gender equality is one of the sustainable development goals of the UAE government. And hence, by achieving this goal, UAE aims to become one of the top 25 countries in the world for gender equality.
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Government initiatives for female entrepreneurs
The UAE business community offers a plethora of business opportunities for female entrepreneurs to grow in their profession, irrespective of their ethnicity. In fact, they have also started several initiatives to help women succeed in their businesses. These initiatives are as follows –
- The Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) – A non-profit organization providing education, training, and funding opportunities to the UAE-based female entrepreneurs to support their business goals.
- The Abu Dhabi Business Women Council (ADBWC) – This is an innovative business incubator that tailors new business ideas and start-ups by women. It helps women identify their potential and transform business ideas into productive projects. Hence, to accommodate this purpose, it provides technical support, advice and guidance, and of course funding as well.
- The Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) – This initiative aims at providing networking opportunities for female entrepreneurs for their business benefit and growth. Hence, it annually hosts a Women Leadership Exchange Programme to achieve this objective, and also to guide sustainable leadership practices.
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Private company partnerships to promote women’s entrepreneurship
Private companies in the UAE regularly partner with the UAE government agencies and welfare organizations to facilitate women entrepreneurs.
MENA, the Women Entrepreneurship Summit aims at encouraging businesswomen as well as female-led businesses across the Middle East and North Africa region.
Similarly, Womena, a media company in the UAE, usually creates content and stories focused on female founders. It also functions as a network for women entrepreneurs and business aspirants.
Organizations like Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and JPMorgan Chase Foundation conduct business training programs and sessions for the women in UAE.
On the other hand, organizations like Khalifa Fund aids UAE women entrepreneurs by providing finance as well as legal support and other procedural assistance in establishing their business in the Arab land.
The Emirates Foundation and Sheera Sharjah, in partnership with Facebook, launched #SheMeansBusiness (SMBs) to prepare and assist thousands of UAE women entrepreneurs in starting their own online businesses.
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Business setup packages solely for women entrepreneurs
In the UAE, free zones are a perfect place to start a business, especially for women. The main reasons for considering free zones are their streamlined business setup processes, customizable offices and workstations, and one-stop resources for government services. In addition, it also offers custom-made business packages exclusively for women entrepreneurs to initiate their business without any hassles or legal troubles. Therefore, female business aspirants can choose any of these to launch their business in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE.
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Flexible work options for pregnant women/women after childbirth
Doing a business in Dubai as a woman can be stressful, especially when you are pregnant or have given birth to a child recently. Therefore, companies in the UAE are developing technology-based solutions to make this process easy for working women. For example, women can attend training and skills sessions through online paltforms; creating a complete work environment that accommodates everyone.
In addition, several companies have started initiatives that provide networking opportunities to women at all stages of their careers. This inspiration has thus reinforced the UAE’s economy as well as encouraged more women to step into the business realm.
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Visa benefits for female expats
Apart from money, several practical obstacles can become a barrier for women to start a business in the UAE. Concerns like limited residency options can also dissuade women from outside the UAE to consider UAE for their business establishment. Therefore, the government is planning to bring generous changes in the visa procedures to invite more female-led businesses into its competitive business world. For instance, the government recently announced 10-year property visas for expats and one-year residency extensions for recently divorced or widowed women without work visas. This particular change can help in providing more stability to women coming into the region.
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Female-focused entrepreneur groups, advisories, and workshops
A recent publication reviewed the social and economic pressures which limit the growth of female entrepreneurship. It was later found that not just funding or residency issues discourage women from starting businesses in the region, but also lack of practical skills and confidence. Therefore, to address this issue, women empowering bodies like Womena and ME conduct annual programs for female-founded startups. These programs aim at empowering women-led SMEs and providing them guidance on practical business skills as well as confidence building.
There are also many similar groups empowering women that aim at increasing the number of female entrepreneurs in the region and providing a place to acquire key entrepreneurial skills. Thus, they serve as a motivation and inspiration for aspiring female entrepreneurs.
Advantages of working with women-led businesses
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Diversity in network
Partnering with a women-owned business help you step into a vibrant and diverse network of dealers. The women entrepreneur community is a tight-knit community that helps each other with advice, recommendations, and sharing experiences.
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Strengthen the economy
As discussed above, women-led businesses generally receive less funding than those owned by men. However, supporting these businesses can lead to healthy competition. This, in turn, will reinforce the market and level up the playing field.
Also read the post: Starting a Company Formation in Dubai Free Zone
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Collaborative environment
Studies suggest that women are better at teamwork due to their higher emotional intelligence. Hence, they are more open to a collaborative workplace which can create a healthy team-oriented environment in the organization.
Conclusion
Entering the business world can be a challenge for female entrepreneurs. However, if we create a more inclusive start-up environment, it can ensure growth and also boost economic development. Since entrepreneurs form the backbone of the UAE economy, UAE itself has stood up as a leader in closing this gender gap in the region. Its ongoing efforts toward equality, diversity, and inclusion intend to address gender inequality, empower female entrepreneurs and bridge the gap. With its exclusive incentive packages, services, and benefits, the UAE government is planning to build a hassle-free, success-inducing place for women. It is time to support the growth of female entrepreneurs and boost the progress of women-owned enterprises. Moreover, creating a gender-diverse ecosystem will eventually bring out fresh ideas, schemes, and products into the market.
So, if you’ve been putting off your entrepreneurial dreams of starting a business in Dubai, UAE until now, it’s time to take action. Speak to Shuraa Business Setup experts who can guide you through the process with minimum hassle. Our experts will take care of all the business procedures and let you focus on building your business.
For more inquiries, please contact any of Shuraa’s advisors at +97144081900. You can also share your queries via chat at +971507775554.
Email – info@shuraa.com
