Barriers to Entrepreneurial Success: A Qualitative Investigation of Emirati Women’s Challenges and Opportunities.

This research investigates the barriers to success women entrepreneurs face in the UAE and aims to design a framework to support their entrepreneurial achievements. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study used purposive sampling to select thirty successful Emirati women entrepreneurs across various sectors. Data were collected through face-to-face, in-depth interviews featuring semi-structured questions, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Key themes emerged, illustrating the challenges and motivators experienced by these entrepreneurs. Women identified personal motivation, unmet job satisfaction, and the perceived benefits of entrepreneurship as major factors driving their success. However, they also reported significant barriers, including a male-dominant cultural environment, limited awareness, and inadequate training opportunities. This study contributes to the limited research on women entrepreneurs in the UAE by providing insights and proposing a framework that policymakers can adopt to foster supportive conditions for women in entrepreneurship.