Women Entrepreneurship for Sustainability: Investigations on Status, Challenges, Drivers, and Potentials in Qatar

Abstract

Economic diversification is vital in achieving sustainable economic development. This diversification is chiefly important for countries relying on natural resources for their economy, such as Qatar. Private enterprises, mainly through small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), have been recognized as crucial and effective means for healthy economic diversification, stimulating economic development, and ensuring equal sharing and distribution of wealth. Recognizing the vulnerabilities within the current economic model has motivated Qatar to relentlessly diversify away from its heavy reliance on natural gas exports. Such diversified and sustainable development cannot be achieved without the contribution of women, who make up a significant percentage of the educated and talented population in this country. However, despite the conspicuous support the state has been providing them with in an aim to promote for their active economic participation as part of Qatar National Vision 2030, women’s full potential to contribute both socially and economically is either hindered or not fully acknowledged due to several socio-economic factors. There is a dearth of studies reporting on the perceived status, challenges, and access to needed resources by women entrepreneurs in Qatar. To address such scarcity, this study builds, in a first step, on a systematic literature review (SLR) to unlock themes related to women and entrepreneurship by analyzing 23 peer-reviewed articles concentrating on the cases of Qatar and the MENA region. Subsequently, a qualitative approach is followed to investigate and examine current successes and obstacles by interviewing 25 actual and aspiring women entrepreneurs in Qatar as well as 5 incubators and government representatives. In a final stage, and based on a design thinking approach and applying the gender-aware framework (known as the 5Ms framework), the paper proposes a preliminary conceptual framework to address the pertaining barriers and pave the way for more progressive policies to cater to the needs of women entrepreneurs and to further promote for sustainable development.

Female Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Economy and Development—Challenges, Drivers, and Suggested Policies for Resource-Rich Countries

“…Double-burden syndrome refers to the heavy society and family expectation of women to be fully responsible for their family and employment duties at the same time. Presently, and despite the freedom allotted to women by the religion of Islam to practice entrepreneurial activities in these labeled "patriarchal" and "conservative" societies, the prevalent cultural perception of women's contribution to the society and economy outside of their houses' boundaries is still negative in the MENA-and mainly in the GCC-region, leading to the existence of multiple cultural barriers to navigate through [62,[67][68][69][70][71]. Batool and Ullah [72] found that family support has a strong effect on women's entrepreneurial success.…”

A Transformative State in the Wake of COVID-19: What Is Needed to Enable Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Education in Qatar?

“…Since no economy can be sustainable unless it constantly adjusts to changing conditions [1], economic diversification is vital in achieving sustainable economic development, especially for countries relying on nonrenewable natural resources, such as oil and gas, in the case of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries [2,3]. Indeed, economic diversification is a critical component of sustainable development since it improves macroeconomic stability and fosters structural and long-term change in the economy and other development pillars such as social institutions and dimensions [4].…”

“…Located in the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar is a small country covering an area of 11,437 km 2 and has a population of 2.723 million as of September 2020 [15]. Qatar is a small oil producer, but with 12.4% of the proven global gas reserves, it ranks third behind Russia and Iran [16].…”

“…It is inextricably linked to private-sector development strategies, micro-, small-, and medium-sized (SME) business policies, job creation, innovation, and competitiveness [42]. Further, private firms, particularly SMEs, have been identified as critical and effective ways of supporting healthy economic diversification, boosting economic growth, and guaranteeing equitable income sharing and distribution [2,43].…”

Empreendedorismo feminino na economia criativa e seus desafios: um olhar sobre as competências

“…O empreendedorismo por meio de pequenas e médias empresas é crucial para a diversificação econômica, estimulando a economia e garantindo uma partilha equitativa na distribuição da riqueza (Al-Qahtani et al, 2022). No entanto, é preciso reconhecer as vulnerabilidades.…”