Women entrepreneurs realising strength in Middle East, account for 35% start-ups

In the Middle East, where the rest of the world thinks that women are given less opportunities as compared to men, it is a fact that women contribute 35% of the start-ups in the total percentage. The area has taken a big leap by this development since so many stigmas are related to it especially regarding women.

women contribute 35% of the start-ups in the middle east

During the difficult times when people are facing bankruptcy there, the women started to raise funds through loans from friends and family to start a business and now around 9.3million women own Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). One such start-up owner Monica, who is a trained designer, started a business of making cloth bags from recycled plastic bottles in Peru. Her business started running successfully in Peru’s markets, which have a high demand for eco-friendly goods. In five years time Monica’s business transitioned from necessity to growth stage and she has now joined a women’s entrepreneurship program run by USAID in Lima.

The addition of these start-ups in the number of businesses already in the Middle East has given birth to badly needed newer employment prospect to people and contribute to the growth of the country.

The World Bank plays a major role in encouraging women entrepreneurs. Its Women’s Leadership in Small and Medium Enterprises (WLSME) met with USAID to gain knowledge of what works with women entrepreneurs in the Middle East. It is going to launch a new gender equality strategy in late 2015 which will focus mainly on women and generating jobs for them and try to increasing their ownership on assets like land, technology etc.

Even in Gaza, women are leading start-ups based on technology and women entrepreneurs in tech. industry account for 35% 

Even in Gaza, women are leading start-ups based on technology and women entrepreneurs in tech. industry account for 35% whereas in the west it is only 10%. The businesses are proving successful often using the help of online websites to reach customers outside the country.

More programs like those initiated by the World Bank are needed to address the constraints of women and to inspire them in all these places where growth is the need of time and people need more jobs to sustain.

Picture Credit- Your Middle East