Trade and gender
The environment for women’s entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa Region
What holds women back from entrepreneurship in the North Africa and Middle East region?
Authors:
N. Chamlou
Publisher:
World Bank, 2008
Despite a commonly-held perception that women-owned firms in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are small, informal and low-tech, this study demonstrates that there is, in fact, little difference between female-owned and male-owned firms. This study aims to analyse gender-specific barriers that exist across the region or within countries and identifies factors outside the business environment that affect women’s entrepreneurship.
Key points include:
- while the investment climate in the Middle East and North Africa is similar for men and women, female owned firms in some countries perceive certain constraints as more binding than male owned firms do
- although well established in the Middle East, women’s entrepreneurship has not reached its full potential
- the shortage of small and micro male- and female-owned firms in the region suggests high barriers to entry into the formal sector for all
- gender barriers restrain the ability of firms to grow to their potential and more importantly, they restrain the number of female-owned firms that can enter the formal sector.
The authors conclude by calling for a reduction of barriers to all firms. They point out that this report is one of many efforts to analyse the potential of women entrepreneurs and female-owned firms in the Middle East. It should be followed by much more concerted data collection. These efforts should look beyond the formal sector by examining women’s self-employment and home-based entrepreneurship.
