Resilience, adaptation and strategic engagement: Saudi female entrepreneurs confront Covid-19
International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship
ISSN: 1756-6266
Article publication date: 23 June 2023
Issue publication date: 20 July 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The authors propose that the lessons learned by women business owners in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic can provide a model of strategic engagement for gender, work and organizations moving forward, where the acknowledgment of women's dual roles inside and outside of the home can provide paths for creative adaptation by employers in order to recruit and retain more diverse workers in the future.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 15 female entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia during the lockdown and soft reopening of the economy in the summer and fall of 2020.
Findings
The authors’ findings provide evidence that some female business owners were already equipped for resilience during the lockdown as they relied on business models that allowed for flexible hours, working from home, and online collaboration. Entrepreneurs further refined their business models as the lockdown continued, and these changes intersected with ongoing adaptations by government institutions and clients, which were designed to adjust to the realities of moving commerce online. Business models that relied on traditional masculine approaches of in-person interaction with clients outside the home, or on global supply chains materially affected by lockdown disruptions, were the least able to adapt.
Originality/value
Rather than focusing on the strategies of individual entrepreneurs, the authors show how cultural context shapes both business models and adaptations of entrepreneurs from cultures that emphasize women's roles inside the home.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was sponsored in part by a grant from the Harvard Kennedy School Evidence for Policy Design program and the Human Resources Development Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data collected for this study was approved by the University of Chicago Institutional Review Board (IRB19-0087).
Citation
González, A.L. and Macias-Alonso, I. (2023), "Resilience, adaptation and strategic engagement: Saudi female entrepreneurs confront Covid-19", International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 170-190. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-06-2022-0103
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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