‘Arab Women Rising:’ 35 female entrepreneurs create change in the Middle East and beyond

Women in the Arab world are usually depicted as submissive, oppressed, stay-at-home women who are financially dependent on the men in their lives, either a father or husband.

“Arab Women Rising,” a new book co-written by Rahilla Zafar and Nafeesa Syeed, shatters these stereotypes by highlighting 35 inspiring female entrepreneurs and changemakers from Tunisia to the UAE. Overcoming societal pressures and obstacles to start their own companies, introduce new technology and create change, these women speak to the startup revolution taking place in the MENA region and the enormous impact, potential and need for women’s economic empowerment.

Published by Knowledge@Wharton, the book covers a broad range of women from different backgrounds, spearheading change in their communities in different fields including microfinance, film-making and mobile technologies.

From an interview with Maali Alasousi, a Kuwaiti woman who moved to Yemen to help improve the lives of the poor and needy to the daughter of Saudi Arabia’s King Saud, Princess Adela Bint Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a fierce advocate for women’s rights who promotes awareness on domestic violence, these anecdotes are more than just profiles of inspiring women.

By highlighting their surroundings, barriers they have overcome, the sacrifices made and their goals for the future, these stories also allow for an interesting discussion on the changing economic landscape of the region and evolution of women as regional economic and social entrepreneurs.

We had a chance to speak with first-time author Rahilla Zafar, about her new book:

Elan: What inspired you to write the book?

Rahilla Zafar: I had written a piece for Knowledge@Wharton on female entrepreneurs driving business in the Middle East and was amazed by what I came across. In that one piece, there were many women were featured – from a Moroccan who co-founded an investment bank to an Egyptian woman who started a printer cartridge recycling company because she was concerned about environmental waste.

Throughout the Middle East, there are so many women entrepreneurs from different economic backgrounds running their own businesses and making real societal change.

My co-writer Nafeesa Syeed would tell me stories of the women she met in countries like Tunisia and Cairo who were having great success using Facebook ads to launch successful online stores. We both felt these stories needed to be told because they were educational for any entrepreneur to read, whether male or female.

Secondly, it would help shatter the stereotype that most of the world has about women in the Arab world. Yes, there are many challenges in the region, but that doesn’t mean women there are prisoners in their own homes and are unable to contribute to society.

Elan: What were some of your goals when writing this book?  

RZ: Women are playing a critical economic role within the Middle East. They are successfully running businesses, coming up with new inventions and doing pioneering research. They’re creating needed jobs for the economy. These women’s stories are a guide and inspiration to everyone, regardless of ones gender.

Also, I don’t think there are enough women role models in the region. I felt this book was important to highlight the work of many women that you don’t usually get to hear about.

Elan: Was there a woman entrepreneur that really stood out to you when compiling your interviews?

Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud really stands out to me and so does Reem Asaad who wrote our foreword. Reem is based in Jeddah and is a working mom that many women around the world could relate to.  She became fed up with having to purchase personal garments from men and started the lingerie campaign which eventually gave women the right to work in retail in Saudi Arabia.

Princess Reema was really at the forefront of embracing these changes at the retail stores she runs including Harvey Nichols in Riyadh.  She took it a step further in pushing for her board to offer women transportation stipends and also provide childcare. She was able to justify the cost by showing how female sales employees often bring in more money than men in most departments.

Elan: Did you find any common themes while interviewing these entrepreneurs?

RZ: Yes, they were all very focused and determined.  Especially as an entrepreneur, failure is inevitable but you have to learn from your mistakes and keep going, which is what the women we profiled are able to do.

Elan: What are some of the challenges faced by these women in the Middle East?

RZ: This varies a lot from country to country.  In some countries such as the UAE, it’s encouraged for women to start businesses and have made great progress in making getting a business license as efficient as possible.

Maha Al-Farhan who founded ClinArt told me that when she first applied for a license, they assumed her business was fashion or a beauty salon. They were in for a surprise; she was doing something so innovative that they had to create a new category for it.

Access to capital is another issue as well. There isn’t always government support or funding easily available.

My co-writer Nafeesa was able to highlight how many women managed to get around this. They developed an e-platform first and had success with things like Facebook ads.  Eventually they had enough revenue coming in. Some even generated enough money to open a physical storefront as well.

In Saudi Arabia, Princess Fahda bint Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud runs the Alfaisayla Welfare Society working alongside a group of incredible women from Jeddah. They have an orphanage and many of the children in it were from migrant workers who didn’t feel like they had the means to raise a child. The organization also oversees an autism center and provides job training for low income and disabled women.  The products they make are amazing but one of the challenges they face is waiting for ministry approval to be able to take payments using credit cards.

Princess Fahda mentioned that it hurts business since many people are ready to make a big purchase, but aren’t carrying that much cash to pay for it.

Elan: What are some of the common stereotypes associated with Arab women and how are they different from what you encountered?

RZ: A couple of them are they aren’t ambitious and need a man’s permission to do everything. Even in Saudi Arabia, where mobility is much more difficult, many women I met didn’t let societal challenges hinder their ambition. Also, many women were hugely supported by their husbands and male relatives.

Elan: What was your selection process when compiling interviews for this book?

RZ: We wanted to find women who were Arab and lived most of their lives in the Middle East. We wanted to profile women who were relatable to the masses.

I respect Princess Adela because she’s very engaged in stopping domestic violence in the Kingdom. She lives in Riyadh and is very in tune with Saudi people and women of all economic backgrounds. She doesn’t live in a palace bubble and is very much in tune with the challenges faced by all people within the Kingdom. Her children are also heavily involved in advocacy as well.

Elan: It has been reported that “for every woman entrepreneur in the region, there are six women who would like to set up a business. For every male entrepreneur, there are only 2.5 more men who intend to do the same.” Why do you think there is the gap between men and women in the region?

RZ: I think it’s easier for men to get a government job.  With more opportunities like that available, many men probably aren’t in a position where they have to think of creating their own job. There are definitely some amazing male entrepreneurs in the region and we’re seeing some work alongside women now in many of these ventures.

Elan: Since the Arab Spring, there has been a lot of talk about the entrepreneurship and technology boom in the Middle East. Do you think that has held true in your research?

RZ: Definitely, and women are playing a major role in this. In every single place we visited from Ramallah to Jeddah there are women in tech. I’d say it’s a higher representation in incubators there than even those in Europe or the US.

Elan: You are working on a follow up book on Saudi women. Tell us a little about that.

RZ: I am working on the new book with Reem Asaad. We’re in the very early stages, but we hope to show that despite all the challenges that exist in Saudi Arabia, women from all social classes are creating new economic opportunities not only for themselves but others as well.

Comments

comments