Gender, social acceptability and the adoption of supermarkets: evidence from Libya

Abstract

This paper explores factors affecting consumers' adoption of supermarkets in a nation whose retail environment has been dominated by traditional markets and small independent stores for generations. In‐depth interviews with Libyan shoppers (n = 32) indicate that social acceptability is a major factor governing adoption of supermarkets. In Libya, food shopping has traditionally been a task for male household members, with markets regarded as inappropriate spaces for female alone or with other women. However, the safer, cleaner and less crowded environment offered by large supermarkets has contributed to women feeling more comfortable shopping for food, and henceforth being able to shop as independent consumers. This has been welcomed by both men and women; traditional culture, rather than constraining the spread of supermarkets, may act as a facilitator. For practitioners, a critical factor underpinning the development of supermarkets in Libya will be the degree to which they offer a more female‐friendly and safer shopping experience than traditional retail outlets.

Understanding the risk and protective factors associated with obesity amongst Libyan adults - a qualitative study

“…The sub-group of dieticians interviewed also identified the unhealthy nature of traditional Libyan foods as potentially even more hazardous than fast foods. This view is aligned with previous studies conducted in Arab region which showed that many (local) traditional Arab foods provided by self-catering food outlets or served whether at home or at restaurants or social functions, have a high-energy density, even higher in unhealthy fats, such as margarine and trans fats, sugar and salt than many Western fast foods [ 11 , 40 ].…”

“…Aspects of the Libyan culture may also be contributing to the obesity problem. For example, the perception that Islamic religion places constraints against women engaging in physical activity [ 6 , 7 ]; inaccuracies in knowledge over what constitutes a healthy diet due to cultural habits (for example, the perception that consuming olive oil reduces cholesterol) [ 8 ]; fattening rituals for women before marriage [ 9 ]; and social gatherings in which guests are presented with large quantities of food and over-eating is encouraged [ 10 , 11 ]. The role of culture is particularly relevant given that, according to Christakis and Fowler [ 12 ], obesity is ‘socially contagious’ and spreads from person to person in a social network.…”

Women’s Empowerment at the Moroccan Supermarket: An Ethnographic Account of Achieved Capabilities and Altered Social Relations in an Emerging Retail Servicescape

“…However, there is an emerging trend across Arab nations, such that an increasing number of women shop in the recently opened supermarkets, where many may be seen pushing a large trolley. In examining the emerging supermarkets in other Arab nations, including the presence of women consumers, Sehib, Jackson, and Gorton (2012) note the security, cleanness, and low frequentation rate of supermarkets in Libya, while Belwal and Belwal (2014) describe supermarkets in Oman as recreational sites, and Alhemoud (2008) emphasizes that consumers in Kuwait consider grocery shopping in supermarkets to be both duty and pleasure. Regarding Morocco specifically, also relevant for our purposes is work by Amine and Lazzaoui (2011) suggesting that there the supermarket functions as a site where social boundaries are negotiated, as it offers social distinction for the upper and middle classes and a gateway to enhanced status for the lower class, although the work does not address gender.…”

The effect of internal and external determinants of electricity projects in Libya

“…Gelvin 2013suggested that Libya has undergone rapid social and economic restructuring, which has been apparent in the recent uprisings and revolutions in the wider Arab world in the past decade. According to Sehib et al (2013) The table above illustrates the high contribution of the oil and gas sector to GDP during the period of the sixties, and the low contribution of other sectors which characterised this period.…”