Only 10 per cent to 12 per cent of customers are women at our brokerage. That gap isn’t just a statistic – it’s a missed economic engine.
Across the Middle East and North Africa, women are launching businesses, running households and shaping purchasing decisions. Yet, too few are trading and investing – especially in the financial markets – where long-term wealth is compounded.
The good news: appetite exists. In Saudi Arabia, the number of women investing on the Tadawul stock market surpassed 1.74 million in the second quarter of 2025 – an all-time high and up sharply year on year, according to figures released by the Capital Market Authority.
That is not a niche; it’s momentum. In the UAE, women invested Dh118 billion ($32.1 billion) in Dubai real estate in 2024, representing about a third of all investors, according to the Dubai Land Department. This is evidence that when the asset class feels accessible and tangible, women show up in force.
For comparison, in the mature US market, women’s participation is mainstream, with roughly 62 per cent of US women reporting they own stocks (directly or through funds or retirement) – about the same rate as men, according to analytics company Gallup.
So, why hasn’t female participation in Mena’s financial markets kept pace?
Part of the answer is education and access. Wealth manager UBS’s region-wide study finds many women want to engage, but 71 per cent report low familiarity with investment instruments like stocks and bonds, even as 62 per cent say they want more information and seek to become more active investors.
There’s also a uniquely UAE imperative to invest. For expatriates, who make up a large share of the workforce, there is no state pension. Instead, most rely on an end-of-service gratuity, a lump sum that’s rarely enough to fund decades of retirement.
The government has begun reform, introducing voluntary end-of-service savings schemes that invest contributions. This is welcome progress, but still optional to enrol in.
In other words, for many residents, your retirement depends on the investment portfolio you build for yourself.
If we want more women investing, we should also bust an enduring myth that men are naturally “better” at it. In fact, the evidence points the other way.
A large-scale analysis by financial services company Fidelity found that female investors, on average, outperformed their male counterparts by 0.4 percentage points per year, thanks to steadier, long-term behaviour – lower turnover and fewer panic trades. That compounds.
Why it matters
When women invest, families are more financially resilient, businesses gain patient capital and markets deepen. In a region rapidly diversifying beyond hydrocarbons, activating half the population as long-term investors is not just fair, it’s macro-critical.
How to get started (and stick with it)1) Start with purpose, not products
Write down one primary goal (for instance, “retire at 60 with DhX per month”). Goals anchor behaviour when markets wobble.
2) Build a safety net first
Hold three to six months of essential expenses in cash or a money-market fund. This “sleep-well” buffer prevents selling investments at the worst time.
3) Automate a small, steady contribution
Set a standing monthly transfer into your portfolio (even Dh300 to Dh500). Automation beats motivation.
4) Keep costs low and diversify
Make bonds and broad, low-cost funds your core – regional and global equity index funds or exchange-traded funds, plus a bond fund if you want smoother swings. Add a Shariah-compliant option if that fits your values.
5) Use dollar-cost averaging
Invest the same amount on a schedule. You’ll buy more when prices are low and less when they’re high – no crystal ball required.
6) Limit trading
Behaviour – not brilliance – drives returns. Fewer, better-researched moves usually beat constant tinkering (and aligns with the performance edge women often show).
7) Measure what matters
Track progress against your goal once a quarter.
8) Learn in community
Join women-led investing circles, webinars or mentorship groups. In the UBS study, demand for approachable education was clear; peer learning removes the intimidation factor.
9) Leverage workplace schemes
If your employer offers a DIFC Employer Workplace Savings (Dews)-style or voluntary end-of-service savings plan, enrol and contribute. It’s a ready-made, diversified base – then layer a personal brokerage account on top.
10) Choose regulated partners
Use a locally regulated broker, understand fees and opt into investor-protection features.
The momentum in Saudi Arabia’s markets and Dubai’s property data show the desire – and the capacity – are already here.
The next step is giving women the education, tools and confidence to build long-term, diversified portfolios. For many of us in the UAE, where a government pension won’t be waiting, that’s not just empowerment. It’s essential.
Joy Dabeet is chief marketing officer at neo-broker amana
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund “prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”.
Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The 10 Questions
Is there a God?
How did it all begin?
What is inside a black hole?
Can we predict the future?
Is time travel possible?
Will we survive on Earth?
Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
Should we colonise space?
Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
How do we shape the future?
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsThe%C2%A0specs%20
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
All about the Sevens
Cape Town Sevens on Saturday and Sunday: Pools A – South Africa, Kenya, France, Russia; B – New Zealand, Australia, Spain, United States; C – England, Scotland, Argentina, Uganda; D – Fiji, Samoa, Canada, Wales
HSBC World Sevens Series standing after first leg in Dubai 1 South Africa; 2 New Zealand; 3 England; 4 Fiji; 5 Australia; 6 Samoa; 7 Kenya; 8 Scotland; 9 France; 10 Spain; 11 Argentina; 12 Canada; 13 Wales; 14 Uganda; 15 United States; 16 Russia
Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m
7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
The National selections:
6.30pm – Ziyadd; 7.05pm – Barney Roy; 7.40pm – Dee Ex Bee; 8.15pm – Dubai Legacy; 8.50pm – Good Fortune; 9.25pm – Drafted; 10pm – Simsir
Tips for job-seekers
Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
More from Rashmee Roshan LallSPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pocketsGreatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Results
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: RB Kings Bay, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: AF Ensito, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: AF Sourouh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Baaher, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
9pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Mootahady, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
9.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Dubai Canal, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Al Ain Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Harrab, Bernardo Pinheiro, Majed Al Jahouri
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
1st Test July 26-30 in Galle
2nd Test August 3-7 in Colombo
3rd Test August 12-16 in Pallekele