Daijiworld Media Network – Al Ain

Al Ain, Sep 26: In a landmark move to elevate Emirati women’s economic role, the UAE’s General Women’s Union (GWU) has unveiled the world’s first official employment programme dedicated to Productive Families—women engaged in home-based traditional industries such as handicrafts.

The initiative, launched during the second edition of the Creatives Path Programme in Al Ain City, provides participants with a fixed monthly salary, profit-sharing, legal protections, and Abu Dhabi Pension Fund coverage. Unlike conventional jobs, the model requires no fixed attendance or daily hours; women simply deliver a set number of quality-approved products each week while working from home.

GWU Secretary-General Noura Al Suwaidi hailed the project as a practical expression of the long-term “Mother of the Nation’s 50:50 Vision,” a national blueprint championed by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak to remove barriers to women’s full participation in development. “This initiative offers a stable source of income while creating new pathways for sustainable contributions to the national economy,” Al Suwaidi said.

Eng. Ghalia Ali Al Mannai, GWU’s Head of Strategic and Development Affairs, added that combining profit-sharing with legal protection will motivate higher product quality and help preserve traditional crafts.

The Productive Families programme aligns with the UAE’s broader 50-year roadmap to position the nation as a global model for women’s empowerment, guided by three pillars: family and national identity, governance and strategies, and international developmental partnerships.

Established in 1975 under the leadership of Sheikha Fatima, the General Women’s Union continues to drive gender-inclusive development, transforming informal home-based labour into recognized employment that safeguards heritage while advancing economic growth.