Women’s labor force in the Gulf increased during the last 10 years by 83 percent, which is considered as a high rate globally and regionally, a recent study revealed.

This figure is an indication of women’s investments and participation growth in many sectors.

Gulf women dominate fortunes estimated by SR385 billion compared to SR500 billion for Middle East women.

The study was conducted by Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Fund for Women Development with the participation of international experts in economic affairs.

Afnan Al-Babtain, CEO of Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Fund for Women Development, said: “The most apparent obstacles faced by small and medium enterprises are the reluctance of some commercial banks to grant them medium or long term credit loans.”

She indicated that the Qatari woman placed the first rank in terms of her participation in the business sector, with 93 percent, followed by 92 percent in Kuwait, then 91 percent in the UAE, and finally Bahrain and Saudi Arabia by 81 percent.

GCC women are not only entering the job market in a big way and seizing positions of leaderships, but are also challenging men in trade and industry.