The environment for women's entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa / Nadereh Chamlou.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Chamlou, Nadereh, 1956-

Contributor:

World Bank.

Charles R. Anderson Endowment Fund.

Series:

Orientations in development

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Self-employed women--Middle East--Public opinion.

Self-employed women.

Self-employed women--Africa, North--Public opinion.

Work--Middle East--Public opinion.

Work.

Work--Africa, North--Public opinion.

Social values--Middle East.

Social values.

Social values--Africa, North.

Public opinion--Middle East.

Public opinion.

Middle East.

Public opinion--Africa, North.

North Africa.

Physical Description:

xxii, 94 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : World Bank, [2008]

Summary:

The commonly held perception is that businesses owned by women in the Middle East and North Africa are small and informal, that they're less sophisticated, and that they're huddled in low-value-added sectors. In fact, as The Environment for Women's Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa shows, there is very little difference between male- and female-owned firms. Female-owned firms in the region are as well-established, productive, technologically savvy, and connected to global markets as male-owned firms.

Although there are many similar characteristics and performance levels between male- and female-owned firms in the region, the book notes that women's entrepreneurship isn't reaching its potential, despite an investment climate that is much less gendered than suspected. With a significant increase in women's educational level-in 11 out of 18 countries in the region women outnumber men in universities-and the strong economic rights women have in Islam, women's entrepreneurship can become a far greater engine for growth and diversification than expected in the past. This potential needs to be exploited vigorously. Reforming the investment climate to benefit all players is one important action. The second would be to remove or mitigate legal and social barriers women face outside the business environment, which act as hurdles to their economic and social empowerment.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Middle East's Economic Challenges 1

Recent Developments 2

The Challenges 4

Female Entrepreneurs Can Become an Engine of Growth 5

How the Report Is Organized 7

Annex 1A Historical Perspective on Women's Economic Activity in the Middle East and North Africa 8

Chapter 2 Female-Owned Firms Defy the Expected 11

More Women Are Individual Owners Than Expected 12

Female-Owned Firms Are Large and Well-Established 13

Female-Owned Firms Participate in the Global Economy 16

Women Employ More Educated Workers and More Women 17

Female- and Male-Owned Firms Have Similar Productivity 20

Annex 2A Data and Methodology 22

Chapter 3 Investment Climate Barriers to Female-Owned Firms 25

Investment Climate Barriers Are Not Particularly Gendered 26

The Nongendered Business Environment Raises Questions about the Scarcity of Female Entrepreneurs 31

Annex 3A Country-Specific Results on Perceived Investment Climate Barriers 32

Chapter 4 Is It More Difficult to Start Female-Owned Firms? 39

Attitudes toward Working Women May Hinder Women's Entrepreneurship 39

Gender-Neutral Obstacles to Doing Business Can Hit Female Entrepreneurs Harder 46

Business and Economic Laws Are Not a Problem for Female Entrepreneurship-Other Laws Are 49

Chapter 5 How to Boost Female Entrepreneurship 57

Reduce Barriers to All Firms 58

Address Gendered Social Norms and Differential Treatment under the Law 58

A Perceptions and Female Employment: Methodology and Empirical Results 61

B Business Laws in Middle Eastern and North African Countries 69

2.1 Distribution of Male- and Female-Owned Firms, by Size and Average Years of Experience 14

2.2 Distribution of Male- and Female-Owned Firms, by Sector and Location 15

2.3 Workforce Composition, by Education 18

2.4 Workforce Composition, by Skill Level of Position 18

2A.1 Sample Composition of World Bank Enterprise Survey Data for the Middle East and North Africa 22

3.1 Percentage of Male- and Female-Owned Firms Reporting the Actual Occurrence of Selected Constraints 28

3A.1 Percentage of Male- and Female-Owned Firms Reporting Investment Climate Constraints as Major or Very Severe Obstacles to Business Operation and Growth, by Gender of Owner and Country 36

4.1 Country-Level and Regional Characteristics 40

4.2 Attitudes toward Working Women Are Less Positive in the Middle East Than in Most Other Developing Regions 43

4.3 Self-Employment Is about as Common in the Middle East as in Other Regions 46

A1 Key Employment Statistics and Governance Measures 63.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 85-90) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Charles R. Anderson Endowment Fund.

ISBN:

9780821374955

0821374958

OCLC:

191207517