Toward an Ecosystem Framework for Advancing Women’s Entrepreneurship in Yemen

Abstract

Women’s entrepreneurship is critical to an economy’s growth and development, yet it faces a variety of difficulties. This study aims to conduct a theoretical assessment of women’s entrepreneurship in Yemen and examine the problems it faces in its development. The findings show that women entrepreneurs in Yemen face numerous hurdles, including social, cultural, and institutional barriers; financial constraints; a lack of entrepreneurial education and knowledge; and a deficiency in training and incubation support. Consequently, it is suggested that a complete ecosystem for women’s entrepreneurship be developed, involving various stakeholders and comprising different types of facilities capable of assisting women entrepreneurs and ensuring their optimum advantage.

Factors influencing entrepreneurial intention of university students in Yemen: The mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy

“…Also, one of the most popular ways of entrepreneurial funding is through entrepreneurial social networks ( Liguori et al, 2018 ). In the study context, research on the entrepreneurship ecosystem indicates that the entrepreneurs’ first reliance on venture capital was their savings, followed by friends ( Alshebami and Alzain, 2022 ). In the following subsection, we focus on the role of entrepreneurial social networks as crucial environmental factors regarding guiding and supporting budding entrepreneurs to be entrepreneurial as follows.…”

“…Oil, Gas production, and almost all government and private economic activities have stopped, resulting failed of authorities to provide salaries for public-sector employees, which is only intermittently and partly paid since 2016. For the private sector, most operations and business activities have ceased due to the high cost of inputs and lack of supplies, as well as insecurity, leading to vast layoffs of the workforce, unemployment, and higher poverty ( Alshebami and Alzain, 2022 ). According to the world bank group report, Yemen’s GDP contracted by 39% between 2014 and 2019 ( World Bank, 2019 ).…”

“…According to the international poverty rate, Yemen has a poverty rate of about 18.8%, while the national rate is about 48.6%. The country’s recent war caused the economy to contract by 39% and created numerous economic challenges ( World Bank, 2019 ; Alshebami and Alzain, 2022 ). Almost every sector in Yemen has been impacted by the ongoing war and internal conflicts, including the SME sector ( Al-Awlaqi and Aamer, 2022 ).…”

“…In addition to the challenging conditions in the country, entrepreneurs in Yemen lack the ability, training, and support to develop their entrepreneurial skills, mainly female ( Ahmad, 2011 ). Yemeni entrepreneurs need financial support for technical training, coaching services, and development programs ( Alshebami and Alzain, 2022 ). Yemen is also ranked first out of 55 economies in terms of the percentage of adults who believe self-employment is a good career option ( Stevenson et al, 2010 ).…”

Entrepreneurial ecosystem, gig economy practices and Women's entrepreneurship: the case of Lebanon

“…Women's entrepreneurs, especially in some cultures and regions, find an ecosystem surrounded by elements that hamper it (Alshebami and Alzain, 2022). These elements constitute barriers that can be observed across different aspects, both feeders and leaders.…”