Islam, Arab women's entrepreneurship and the construal of success

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to explore how Arab Muslim women entrepreneurs construe success, their identity as successful and the influence of Islam on these construals in the country-specific context of Lebanon.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve our aim, a qualitative interpretative methodology, drawing upon 25 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Muslim women entrepreneurs was adopted.FindingsEquipped with Islamic feminism, Arab women entrepreneurs experienced Islam as a malleable resource. Islam allowed them to construe success and their identity as successful at the juncture of their lived experiences as business owners, Muslims of good character and standing and Arab females. Ultimately, Islam unfolded as a dynamic religion that supports women's agency in a landscape dominated by deeply entrenched patriarchal societal and cultural norms and gender-based restrictions.Originality/valueFirst, we contribute to research on the effect of Islam on entrepreneurship by demonstrating the influence of Islam on women's identity construction as successful and their construals of success. Second, we contribute to research on how entrepreneurs construe success beyond situating their construals of success in opposing camps of either objective or subjective success. Third, we contribute to research on identity construction and identity work by demonstrating how Muslim women entrepreneurs' identity as successful is construed at the intersection of their personal and social identities.

Access to Finance and Legal Framework in Female Entrepreneurship Development in Bangladesh: The Mediating Role of Self-Leadership

“…In the Middle East, legal boundaries and complications in the start-up of businesses can discourage female entrepreneurs from establishing organizations. A significant number of these obstructions are common to both female and male business visionaries; however, female entrepreneurs face additional limitations due to gender discrimination and cultural values within the legal, strategic, and supportive institutional systems (Tlaiss & McAdam, 2021). For instance, women can't profit from extensive services, and they need to fight to avoid gender discrimination in the business environment.…”

Careers of commercially successful female entrepreneurs in context of underdeveloped markets and weak institutions

“…Our study has some implication for the theory of female entrepreneurial careers. First, in response to calls for more research on the central role of gender stereotypes in explaining (un)successful female entrepreneurial careers (Tlaiss and McAdam, 2021; Verheul et al , 2006), our study unmasks overlooked aspects of successful female entrepreneurial careers, reconceptualizes what constitute career success (Gunz and Heslin, 2005) and provide a cause to rethink why some female entrepreneurs may be more “successful” than others. Second, while previous scholarship has emphasized the challenges female entrepreneurs face in developing their entrepreneurial careers (Brixiová and Kangoye, 2016), our study, which draws on a life history approach, provokes connections between the profiles of our female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in other times, and places characterized by underdeveloped markets and institutions (De Vita et al.…”

“…They emphasise their capacity to coping with conflicting demands (De Clercq et al, 2021), and discipline, and trust as some of the salient attributes of those female entrepreneurs who tend to become commercially successful in those contexts (Tlaiss, 2019). Surprisingly, we know very little about how these new breeds of female entrepreneurs strategize to construct desirable careers (Braches and Elliot, 2017), and how they employ their agency to influence their context (Tlaiss and McAdam, 2021;Zikic and Ezzedeen, 2015). In this regard, we posit that commercially successful female entrepreneurs in developing countries represent an interesting group of entrepreneurs through which to examine successful entrepreneurial careers constructed in contexts characterised by underdeveloped institutions and markets resulting in poor economic opportunities, particularly for young people (Amoako et al, 2021;Moulick et al, 2019).…”

Exploring Factors Determining the Business Performance of Micro and Small Entreprises: Reality in Indonesian Muslim Entrepreneurs

“…Al-Falah is represented in business by three components: religious dedication, sharia principles, and entrepreneurial actions (Aminuddin et al, 2016). Personal or societal activities are influenced by spiritual movements connected to Allah (Tlaiss & McAdam, 2021). As a result, management and entrepreneurship studies should address religion's significance (Gümüsay, 2014).…”