Why the Middle East Is a Good Place For Women Tech Entrepreneurs

pbahra writes "Conferences for start-ups and entrepreneurs often feature 'pitch contests,' slots in which aspiring entrepreneurs take to the stage to sell their ideas to the audience. Last month's ArabNet conference, held in the Lebanese capital, was no different. What was different, however, was the number of pitches from female entrepreneurs. The stereotype has it that women in the Middle East are subjugated, oppressed and barely let out of their houses. But if that is the case, how come 40% of the pitches were from women—a higher percentage than is typical in equivalent conferences held in Europe? Nor was this closer-to-equal representation of women unique to ArabNet--other conferences in the region boast similar ratios."

so they can pitch just not drive cars...

[johnjones]

Women driving has been a controversial issue in Saudi Arabia since 1990 when 47 women got into 14 cars and drove on to a main street in Riyadh. They were stopped, suspended from work for two years and condemned for years in religious sermons and social circles....

honestly

 

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TFA answers the summary's question.

[Internal Modem]

TFA answers the question: "Home working also allows women to combine their traditional roles of homemaker and mother, with being an entrepreneur. " So they are able to fulfill their expected roles. Also, "...most of the female entrepreneurs at the conference were young and had spent time in Europe, the U.S. or Australia." Many of them have more permissive families.

Re:Saying it's a sterotype isn't saying it's not t

[sycodon]

Don't forget get being beating, raped and even murdered with the tacit approval of the society and the law.

Re:As Arab cities go...

[operagost]

Would the person who modded me "troll" please point out where my information is incorrect? Read the sayings of Mohammed as recorded by Al Bukhari: "A nation headed by a woman shall never succeed"; "If I have commanded kneeling for somebody, I would command a woman to kneel for her husband", "Women lack brain and religion". And the Qur'an, I think it's in Sura 5, "As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them, refuse to share their beds, beat them; but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of other punishment)." Don't deny the truth.

Re:As Arab cities go...

[Guppy06]

"Arab" is an ethnic group, not a religion. It's more than possible to be an "Arab Christian," (typical Copt), just as it is to be an "Hispanic Jew."

Re:Soooo....

[Jawnn]

Of course he hasn't. That would require effort, not to mention a mind open at least enough to admit the possibility that his preconceived notions about Islam might be incorrect. Can't have that now, can we?

Re:As Arab cities go...

[Anonymous Coward]

If you really want to convince us that all moslems take every archaic passage in the Qaran seriously then we must by the same logic also argue that all christians do as well.

If someone tried to preach murder, violence and the destruction of democratic states in the largest christian church in the capital city of a major western nation, how long would he be allowed to continue? On the other hand Abu Hamza was able to do this for 5 years until stopped by part of the government.

What Abu Hamza was able to do for so long in the Finsbury mosque shows that the die-hard fundies in Islam are more than just a tiny minority. Maybe they are not the majority, but they are a significant proportion.

Re:Soooo....

[Chrisq]

Thats primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa not the Arab world.

wrong [globalpost.com], wrong [rferl.org], wrong [guardian.co.uk].