Business Women in the Middle East and North Africa: Barriers and Opportunities

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is a difficult business environment for women. Before deciding to join the MENA workforce, a woman must take into account barriers related to religious beliefs, oil booms, personal connections, and access to financing. She must also consider economic indicators of the region, some of which include GDP, population, and economic freedom. This paper focuses on female nationals and expatriates and provides information regarding the following: commonalities shared among nationals, definitions of nationals’ success, expatriate motivations, expatriate relational considerations, and an expatriate’s potential to succeed. The conclusion gives stories of Arab women in order to demonstrate the reality of success for business women in the MENA region