Recent studies and researches made it clear that there is a considerable number of Emirati women who are involved in small-scale economic activities.
There are two segments in the women managed small enterprises (WSE) sector in the UAE.

1. Traditional Activities: consisting mostly of trading and simple manufacturing (eg. Perfume mixing, traditional cloth making and various handicrafts.), which are carried out in WSEs headed by relatively elderly, modestly educated women entrepreneurs who operate from their homes.
   
   
2. Modern activities which refers to small businesses engaged in economic activities of more recent origin, often making ample use of advanced information and communication techniques and up-to-date business practices, managed mostly by young, well-educated and more business oriented UAE women entrepreneurs.

Research has also shown that a number of home-based micro-enterprises operating from home, the women entrepreneurs were found to be relatively young and well-educated.
A number of them had received some management or other business skills training and had worked for about four years in the private or government sector prior to starting their micro-businesses.