A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend the UAE’s Arab Women of the Year Awards 2013, a ceremony that honours and celebrates pioneer Arab women in the country who created a significant difference in various fields such as education, literature, fashion, and medicine. I could not help but feel proud at the marvellous achievements of these women, who were all at their prime and brave enough to take on whatever challenges on the way.

There is no denial that when it comes to business support and mentorship we are blessed to be living in the UAE. We have various funding options to choose from if we were short of capital, as well as the option to approach several organisations that provide business mentorship such as Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Establishment for small and medium enterprises, and Injaz.

With the country’s effort to diversify the economy away from the oil and gas sector within the next 15 years, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are supported and needed now more than ever. According to the Department of Economic Development, UAE SMEs account for 92 per cent of the economy in the non-oil sector, and employ 86 per cent of the workforce. The country also facilitates start ups. The World Bank’s Annual Ease of Doing Business survey ranked the UAE as the 22nd country globally, and the first in the Arab world as the easiest place to start a business.

Where are Emirati women in this equation? The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (Gem) report published last year shows that the number of Emirati female entrepreneurs is set to increase with 80 per cent of Emirati females inclined to start a business.

As exciting at that may sound, many Emirati female entrepreneurs still favour opting for businesses in certain sectors such as fashion, beauty, and food. One may think that there are enough cupcake bakers and abaya designers out there, only to be surprised that more businesses in this field pop overnight. This reality has been embedded in many people’s minds. I remember meeting a business colleague with a friend when she mentioned that she wanted to pursue her dream business. My business colleague jumped into asking her if she would be opening an abaya design house.

In my social circle alone most young women around me aspire to startup businesses in the food and fashion sectors, and most who are established business owners are either fashion designers or restaurant/cafe owners. I for one, am a small fashion line business owner.

There is nothing wrong with that, and it is good for one to pursue their passion be it abaya fashion designing or cupcake baking. In fact, many would argue that there is always a demand in the market especially for abayas, our daily attire, and it would be a smart move to capitalise on that as there is an ever increasing interest from global customers as well to wearing them.

But the question is this: are female entrepreneurs pursuing these fields because they are truly passionate about them or is it safer and less riskier than pursuing a non-traditional venture say related to aerospace, engineering, or auto?

In the recent SME Congress and Expo which was held in Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre last week, Sheikha Hend Faisal Al Qassimi, who delivered the keynote speech, urged female entrepreneurs to move away from the “abaya and cupcake fetish”.

Perhaps the ease of starting a business in a field that we are so familiar about and its target audience is attractive enough to shed our thinking away from pursuing something completely different, challenging, and riskier.

The involvement of women in innovative business ventures is crucial, and just as vital is their participation in the Emirati workforce. In fact, their penetration of a non-traditional sector will provide them with a greater opportunity to be pioneers and quickly recognised. Thankfully they will not be short of support in all its forms. All they need is a push in that direction, and that’s what organisations such as Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development are doing by encouraging women and funding innovative fields of businesses.

With Dubai’s successful Expo 2020 bid, and the increasing number of investors who will flood into the country, there is no time like the present for these innovative ventures to surface, and hopefully we will see many of them participating in the event a few years from now.

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and fashion designer based in Abu Dhabi. Follow her on Twitter: @manar_alhinai