Female entrepreneurs in Gulf Cooperative Countries (GCC)‎ : a comparative literature review with developed countries \

الملخص EN

There has been impressive growth in female entrepreneurs despite the challenges they face.

Countries around the world are now working to assist women in becoming entrepreneurs and developing the environment, experience and skills necessary to succeed. Unprecedented economic growth in the Gulf Co-operative Countries (GCC) is creating opportunities for women to own their own businesses.

Despite initial government intervention to encourage and support entrepreneurship in GCC, many obstacles still remain for women in this region.

The purpose of this literature review is to compare the motivations and obstacles that female entrepreneurs face in the GCC with women globally.

The ultimate aim of the research is to provide guidance for GCC policy makers and support programs to enhance women's entrepreneurship.

The literature reveals that there are a number of factors that influence a women's decision to become an entrepreneur including the desire for independence, financial freedom and making a social contribution.

In addition, women around the world encounter obstacles and barriers that make it difficult for them to become entrepreneurs e.g.

access to the capital necessary to start a business properly is a challenge for women in developing countries, women in the Middle East face a traditional patriarchal society that believes a woman's place is in the home.Despite the growth in interest in female entrepreneurship, there is an apparent gap in the academic literature for GCC female entrepreneurs regarding their motivations and the obstacles that they face.

This paper attempts to draw together the little literature that is available on female entrepreneurship in GCC and compare their experience with women entrepreneurs in other regions of the world.