The UAE Launches "Vision 50:50" to Economically Empower Women by 2075
In an ambitious step to enhance the role of women as a key partner in development, the United Arab Emirates has launched "Vision 50:50", which opens "wider doors for Emirati women to work, innovate, and contribute to economic development".
The new vision is based on three main elements: family, identity, governance, and international developmental strategies and partnerships, aiming to create "a competitive business environment that stimulates women and female entrepreneurs by developing initiatives and projects that support the economic empowerment of women".
The empowerment plan extends over the coming decades until 2075 and includes launching "future foresight laboratories that act as flexible accelerators to face challenges and empower women in vital sectors, especially technology, artificial intelligence, climate, and energy". The vision also includes "building a flexible governance system for women's issues and achieving strategic integration with government entities to ensure the sustainability of empowerment".
In a reflection on the present, the figures confirm the impact of supportive economic policies, including "the decision to allocate at least one seat for women on the boards of directors of private joint-stock companies in the UAE".
Emirati women have indeed become "a key part of the business, investment, and small and medium enterprises sectors", as statistics revealed that the total number of business licenses owned by Emirati women reached "about 128,482 licenses by the end of July 2025, with a growth rate of 15% compared to the end of July 2024, and 155% compared to the end of July 2020". These licenses cover a wide range of activities, including "e-commerce, tourism, artificial intelligence, and health".
Empowerment has not been limited to the economic aspect alone; the "legislative and institutional framework has contributed to the representation of women in the Cabinet reaching 24%, while the representation in the Federal Council is 50%". This achievement came after "the UAE issued more than 20 laws and amendments in recent years covering areas such as labor, wages, ownership, and others".
The scene is completed by noting that "the number of Emirati businesswomen is estimated at about 23,000 women managing projects worth more than 60 billion dirhams", in addition to "holding 15% of the boards of directors of chambers of commerce and industry in the country", highlighting the pivotal role of Emirati women in steering the national economy towards the future.
