MENAGEN E-FORUM 2021
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS TO OVERCOME CRISIS:
THE ROLE OF WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH
Entrepreneurship is applauded globally by governments and international agencies including the United Nations, as a potential solution for a multitude of global challenges. Indeed, within the MENA region, entrepreneurship is upheld as a significant pathway for reducing unemployment and achieving sustainable development and prosperity. To maximize and accelerate the benefits of entrepreneurship for individual entrepreneurs and their communities, a gender-aware, gender-sensitive and gender inclusive approach to entrepreneurship education, research, policy and practice is required. Easy to say, hard to put into practice! A tried and tested approach in other parts of the world is ‘engaged scholarship’ that allows us to successfully travel this path by creating a community of responsible stakeholders with a common purpose at the intersection of research, policy and practice.
Co-sponsored by the Saudi Ministry of Education Research and Innovation Deputyship, the Babson Global Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (BGCEL) and the Gender and Enterprise Network (GEN) – a special interest group of the UK based Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE), and under the patronage of His Excellency the Deputy Minister for Research and Innovation at the Saudi Ministry of Education Professor Nasser Aloqaily, the aim of the global E-Forum held on February 25th, 2021 was to enhance engagement between international, regional and local gender and entrepreneurship scholars, share world-class women’s entrepreneurship engaged scholarship addressing challenges and solutions to overcome crises, and launch MENAGEN – the regional network for gender and entrepreneurship researchers with the common objective of advancing entrepreneurship and engaged scholarship in the Arab world. The overall purpose of MENAGEN is to empower gender and entrepreneurship researchers and scholars in the Arab world, especially in light of a post Covid-19 world.
AIMS OF
THE E-FORUM
Engaging the gender and entrepreneurship
research community with international and local
scholars to launch a regional network of
researchers (MENAGEN) with the common
objective of enhancing women’s
entrepreneurship research in the region.
OUTCOMES OF THE E-FORUM
1.
SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIP The underlying themes of collaboration and partnership that empower research were represented throughout the E-Forum. Indeed, the momentous partnership between the Ministry of Education’s Research and Innovation Deputyship, BGCEL, and GEN is testament to the recognition of the importance of the role of women’s entrepreneurship research in addressing pressing global challenges, and finding solutions for overcoming crises.
%
Were women
OUTCOMES OF THE E-FORUM
2.
REACH Almost 700 scholars registered to attend the E-Forum through the Saudi MoE platform. Of these:
Whilst the number of registrations indicated the significant interest and need for such research oriented events in the region, it far exceeded the capacity of the platform. As such, 150 registrants were selected and invited to attend the E-Forum. This selection included those who had registered to attend the GEN cancelled event in February 2020, and a mix of Saudi, regional and international scholars interested in gender and entrepreneurship research in the Arab world. All attendees received a ‘certificate of attendance’ for the E-Forum. Due to the Saudi Ministry of Education’s data protection policies, we are unable to share the list of delegates.
%
Were women
%
Were PhD holders
OUTCOMES OF THE E-FORUM
3.
SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIP The underlying themes of collaboration and partnership that empower research were represented throughout the E-Forum. Indeed, the momentous partnership between the Ministry of Education’s Research and Innovation Deputyship, BGCEL, and GEN is testament to the recognition of the importance of the role of women’s entrepreneurship research in addressing pressing global challenges, and finding solutions for overcoming crises.
%
Were women
%
Were PhD holders
%
Were from Saudi Arabia
OUTCOMES OF THE E-FORUM
4.
RECOGNIZING WOMEN’S SCHOLARSHIP IN ADVANCING THE FIELD OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP By deliberately focusing upon the role of women’s entrepreneurship research in addressing challenges and solutions to overcome crises, the E-Forum recognized the advances made in entrepreneurship research by women scholars in the MENA region and further afield. To this extent, some of the gender and entrepreneurship research areas focused upon by the attendees of the E-Forum included:
OUTCOMES OF THE E-FORUM
4.
Displacement and refugee women entrepreneurs
Eco sustainability and Saudi female fashion design entrepreneurship
Empowerment, emancipation, and women’s entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial legitimacy and motivations
Entrepreneurship education in providing students with the knowledge, skills, and motivation in various settings and how it can be taught across different disciplines and schools rather than within business schools only.
Gender inclusiveness and gender balance in composition of teams
Science, creativity, entrepreneurship, and gender STEMM, women, and entrepreneurship
The digital divide and women’s entrepreneurship
The role of educators in fostering an entrepreneurial mindset amongst students.
Women entrepreneurs, creativity, and creative thinking
Women’s entrepreneurship through an individualist vs collectivist lens
OUTCOMES OF THE E-FORUM
1.
SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIP The underlying themes of collaboration and partnership that empower research were represented throughout the E-Forum. Indeed, the momentous partnership between the Ministry of Education’s Research and Innovation Deputyship, BGCEL, and GEN is testament to the recognition of the importance of the role of women’s entrepreneurship research in addressing pressing global challenges, and finding solutions for overcoming crises.
%
Were women
OUTCOMES OF THE E-FORUM
1.
SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIP The underlying themes of collaboration and partnership that empower research were represented throughout the E-Forum. Indeed, the momentous partnership between the Ministry of Education’s Research and Innovation Deputyship, BGCEL, and GEN is testament to the recognition of the importance of the role of women’s entrepreneurship research in addressing pressing global challenges, and finding solutions for overcoming crises.
%
Were women
2.
REACH Almost 700 scholars registered to attend the E-Forum through the Saudi MoE platform. Of these:
Whilst the number of registrations indicated the significant interest and need for such research oriented events in the region, it far exceeded the capacity of the platform. As such, 150 registrants were selected and invited to attend the E-Forum. This selection included those who had registered to attend the GEN cancelled event in February 2020, and a mix of Saudi, regional and international scholars interested in gender and entrepreneurship research in the Arab world. All attendees received a ‘certificate of attendance’ for the E-Forum. Due to the Saudi Ministry of Education’s data protection policies, we are unable to share the list of delegates.
%
Were women
%
Were PhD holders
2.
REACH Almost 700 scholars registered to attend the E-Forum through the Saudi MoE platform. Of these:
Whilst the number of registrations indicated the significant interest and need for such research oriented events in the region, it far exceeded the capacity of the platform. As such, 150 registrants were selected and invited to attend the E-Forum. This selection included those who had registered to attend the GEN cancelled event in February 2020, and a mix of Saudi, regional and international scholars interested in gender and entrepreneurship research in the Arab world. All attendees received a ‘certificate of attendance’ for the E-Forum. Due to the Saudi Ministry of Education’s data protection policies, we are unable to share the list of delegates.
%
Were PhD holders
3.
SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIP The underlying themes of collaboration and partnership that empower research were represented throughout the E-Forum. Indeed, the momentous partnership between the Ministry of Education’s Research and Innovation Deputyship, BGCEL, and GEN is testament to the recognition of the importance of the role of women’s entrepreneurship research in addressing pressing global challenges, and finding solutions for overcoming crises.
%
Were women
%
Were PhD holders
%
Were from Saudi Arabia
3.
SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIP The underlying themes of collaboration and partnership that empower research were represented throughout the E-Forum. Indeed, the momentous partnership between the Ministry of Education’s Research and Innovation Deputyship, BGCEL, and GEN is testament to the recognition of the importance of the role of women’s entrepreneurship research in addressing pressing global challenges, and finding solutions for overcoming crises.
%
Were from Saudi Arabia
4.
RECOGNIZING WOMEN’S SCHOLARSHIP IN ADVANCING THE FIELD OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP By deliberately focusing upon the role of women’s entrepreneurship research in addressing challenges and solutions to overcome crises, the E-Forum recognized the advances made in entrepreneurship research by women scholars in the MENA region and further afield. To this extent, some of the gender and entrepreneurship research areas focused upon by the attendees of the E-Forum included:
Displacement and refugee women entrepreneurs
Eco sustainability and Saudi female fashion design entrepreneurship
Empowerment, emancipation, and women’s entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial legitimacy and motivations
Entrepreneurship education in providing students with the knowledge, skills, and motivation in various settings and how it can be taught across different disciplines and schools rather than within business schools only.
Gender inclusiveness and gender balance in composition of teams
Science, creativity, entrepreneurship, and gender STEMM, women, and entrepreneurship
The digital divide and women’s entrepreneurship
The role of educators in fostering an entrepreneurial mindset amongst students.
Women entrepreneurs, creativity, and creative thinking
Women’s entrepreneurship through an individualist vs collectivist lens