The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a surge in the number of women founding their own businesses in the UAE, a new report by World Economic Forum showed.
Using data from professional networking platform LinkedIn, the Global Gender Gap Report by WEF noted that female business founders in the UAE grew by 68 percent in 2020 when compared to the previous year.
Although the job market was generally negatively affected by the pandemic, it also created new business opportunities, according to a statement from LinkedIn, pointing to how “industries were upended and adjusted to operating digitally, which helped to reduce some startup costs.”
The pandemic also saw many women bearing more responsibility when it comes to work and family life, pushing them to ask for more flexibility from their employers.
These factors drove more women to set up their own businesses, LinkedIn claimed.
Women severely underrepresent at leadership level
The new WEF report also highlighted women being “severely underrepresented” at leadership level, holding only a fifth, or 20 percent, of leadership roles in the UAE.
Data showed gender bias in internal promotions in Emirates as well – with men being 22 percent more likely to be promoted to leadership roles than women in 2021 on average.
“The pandemic hit working women harder than men, as traditional gender roles took hold and female-dominated sectors bore the brunt of lockdowns. The serious lack of women in leadership positions continues to be a real problem, yet data shows that male colleagues are far more likely to be promoted into leadership roles,” Sue Duke, head of global public policy at LinkedIn, said.
Women, according to the report, would represent 31 percent of entry-level roles in the UAE, but would later drop down to 22 percent in managerial roles. The pipeline shrinks further in c-suite leadership positions at 13 percent.
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