Chamlou, Nadereh2012-05-252012-05-252008978-0-8213-7495-5https://hdl.handle.net/10986/6479This report is about how women entrepreneurs can contribute more to the quality and direction of economic and social development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Economic growth in the Middle East has been remarkable since 2004, mainly because of higher oil prices. Rapid job growth has followed, driven mainly by the private sector. Yet the region still faces two important challenges: the first is to create better jobs for an increasingly educated young workforce; and the second is to diversify its economies away from the traditional sectors of agriculture, natural resources, construction, and public works and into sectors that can provide more and better jobs for young people (sectors that are more export oriented, labor intensive, and knowledge driven). These goals can be achieved only by more innovative and diverse investors. In this, the private sector must play an even bigger role than in the past.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS TO FINANCEACCESS TO LANDACCESS TO LENDERSADVOCACYBARRIERS TO INVESTMENTBARRIERS TO WOMENBUSINESS ACTIVITIESBUSINESS ENVIRONMENTBUSINESS ENVIRONMENTSBUSINESS FORMATIONBUSINESS OWNERSBUSINESS TRANSACTIONSBUSINESSWOMANCAPITAL INVESTMENTSCASH FLOWCCCOMMERCIAL BANKSCORRUPTIONCOURTCREDIT CARDSCRIMEDISCRIMINATIONDISCRIMINATORY LAWSDIVERSIFICATIONEARNINGSECONOMIC ACTIVITIESECONOMIC ACTIVITYECONOMIC AGENTSECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC GROWTHECONOMIC OPPORTUNITYECONOMIC RESOURCESECONOMIC RIGHTSECONOMIES OF SCALEEDUCATED WOMENEDUCATION LEVELEMPLOYERSEMPLOYMENT GROWTHEMPOWERMENTENROLLMENTENTERPRISE SIZEENTRY BARRIERSEXPANSIONFAMILIESFAMILY LAWFAMILY LAWSFATHERSFEMALEFEMALE BUSINESSFEMALE ENTREPRENEURSFEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIPFINANCE ACCESSFINANCESFINANCIAL MARKETSFINANCIAL RESOURCESFIRM SIZEFIRMSFOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTFOREIGN INVESTMENTFORMAL ECONOMYGENDERGENDER BIASGENDER DIFFERENCESGENDER EQUALITYGENDER GAPGENDER GAPSGENDER ISSUESGENDER ROLESGENDER SEGREGATIONGENDER-SPECIFIC BARRIERSHOMEHUMAN CAPITALHUSBANDSINFORMATION TECHNOLOGYINHERITANCEINTERNAL FUNDSINTERNATIONAL BANKINTERNATIONAL MARKETINVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIESISLAMIC LAWJOB CREATIONJOB SECURITYJUDGESLABOR FORCE PARTICIPATIONLABOR MARKETLABOR MARKETSLATIN AMERICANLAWSLAWYERSLEASINGLEGAL STATUSLEGISLATIONLICENSINGLITERACYMALE HEIRMALE HEIRSMATERNITY LEAVEMEDICINEMIDDLE EASTMIDDLE EASTERNMIDWIVESNEW BUSINESSESNORTH AFRICAOPPORTUNITY FOR WOMENPRIVATE INVESTMENTREAL ESTATERESIDENCERISK TAKERSRULE OF LAWSELF-EMPLOYMENTSEXSHOPSSMALL ENTERPRISESSMALL FIRMSSOCIAL DEVELOPMENTSOURCES OF FINANCESPECIALISTSTART-UPSTART-UPSSUB-SAHARAN AFRICASUPPLIERSUNEMPLOYMENTUNIONSWIFEWILLWOMEN ENTREPRENEURSWOMEN IN BUSINESSWORKING CAPITALWorld Bank10.1596/978-0-8213-7495-5