Navigating faith and enterprise : an institutional analysis of women's entrepreneurship in Islam's heartlands
Barqawi, Omamah Ameen (Umm Al-Qura University.)
Al-Dajani, Haya (Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship (Aràbia Saudita))
Turro Sol, Andreu (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Empresa)
Urbano, David (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Empresa)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Centre d'Estudis i Recerca en Emprenedoria i Innovació Social

Data:	2025
Resum:	Purpose: This study explores how the social, cultural and religious landscapes of Makkah and Madinah (Islam's heartlands located in Saudi Arabia) shape and influence women's entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach: Employing an institutional approach and an Islamic feminism lens, the analysis reacts to the growing demand for research on women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia, particularly Makkah and Madinah, within the pervasive Islamic cultural environment. Via semi-structured interviews with 14 women entrepreneurs, the study explores the influence of the Islamic landscape on women's entrepreneurship in these Islamic cities. Findings: Despite Islamic scriptures encouraging women's entrepreneurial activity, local societal interpretations frequently pose challenges and promote resistance to women's economic activity. Nevertheless, by adopting principles of Islamic feminism such as "ijtihad", women entrepreneurs in Islam's holiest cities navigate these socially embedded misinterpretations, drive societal change and achieve economic independence. Originality/value: This study contributes to the gender and entrepreneurship literature by highlighting the need to further explore the Islamic culture's influence on women's entrepreneurship, especially in under-researched Islamic contexts like Makkah and Madina. In addition, the results expand the awareness of entrepreneurial dynamics beyond stereotypes that show women in Muslim-majority countries as socially conservative. Overall, the results present an in-depth analysis of the complex intersections between Islamic culture, gender roles, and women's entrepreneurship activities through the Islamic feminism lens.
Ajuts:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2022-141777NBI00 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-00719
Nota:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Women's entrepreneurship ; Institutional approach ; Islamic feminism ; Religion ; Makkah ; Madinah ; Saudi Arabia
Publicat a:	International journal of gender and entrepreneurship, 2025 , ISSN 1756-6274

DOI: 10.1108/IJGE-06-2024-0191

22 p, 366.7 KB

El registre apareix a les col·leccions:
Articles > Articles de recerca
Articles > Articles publicats