Women looking to smash glass ceiling turning to entrepreneurship in Dubai

Women looking to smash glass ceiling turning to entrepreneurship in Dubai

Women struggling to break through the glass ceiling in the corporate world are taking matters into their own hands and reaching the top through increasingly entrepreneurial spirit, according to Natalia Sycheva, senior manager of entrepreneurship and special projects, at Dubai Start-up Hub.

The initiative, part of Dubai Chamber, has been in operation in the emirate since 2016 and served, through its programmes, more than 8,000 entrepreneurs and founders.

Sycheva told Arabian Business many women were looking to chart their own path rather than climb the corporate ladder. She said: “Let's step back and think about what opportunities are available for females in the 21st century? You could pursue a corporate career, a government career, or you could pursue entrepreneurship as a path.

Natalia Sycheva, senior manager of entrepreneurship and special projects, at Dubai Start-up Hub.

“If you think about a corporate career, let's look at the numbers, according to the S&P500 Index, the number of female CEOs leading those companies has doubled over the past ten years and today it stands at 37, which is just six percent of the whole companies there; six percent of women get to the top, to lead, in the corporate world.

“In entrepreneurship, in the UAE what we've seen