As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the importance of markets and private enterprise in driving economic growth cannot be overstated.
This is especially true in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region where there has been a significant increase in entrepreneurial activity in recent years, notable in a region that has traditionally leaned towards public sector employment.
This increase in entrepreneurship is especially promising when combined with the high levels of educational attainment in many parts of the region.
However, the glaring weakness continues to be the substantial barriers women face in pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams.
Globally, 34 percent of small and medium businesses are woman-owned. However, in the MENA region only 23 percent of businesses are woman-owned, ranging from 7 percent in Yemen to 49 percent in Tunisia.
Further, MENA on average suffers the lowest female business participation rate in the world (19 percent). It ranges from a low of 14 percent in Jordan to a high of 43 percent in Bahrain. While these numbers hint at some of the challenges women in the region face, there are other contract-related issues as well.
That is the subject of the Wilson Center’s new report Women and Entrepreneurship in MENA: The Cases of Bahrain, Lebanon and Tunisia… more
