UAE Business: Pandemic ‘sparks surge of female founders in UAE’ – Gulf Digital News

UAE Business: Pandemic ‘sparks surge of female founders in UAE’ – Gulf Digital News

The pandemic sparked a surge in the growth of women founding their own businesses, with the share of founders growing by 68% for women and by 46% for men in 2020 compared to 2019 in the UAE, according to new data from LinkedIn.

LinkedIn’s data, published in the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Gender Gap Report, shows that economic headwinds and inequitable workplaces fuelled a surge in female founders during the pandemic as working women sought to take control of their careers.

Women’s careers faced many challenges during the pandemic as they were more likely to work in service sector jobs, such as Retail and Hospitality, which were most affected by lockdowns. The pandemic also saw many women bear the double responsibility of work and caregiving, forcing them to seek greater flexibility than they were offered by their employers.

The pandemic also created new business opportunities, as industries were upended and adjusted to operating digitally, which helped to reduce some start-up costs - like physical offices. Together, these drivers saw women set up their own businesses at an unprecedented rate.

Women remain severely underrepresented at leadership level and are significantly less likely to be promoted internally to leadership roles.

LinkedIn data included in the 2022