Egyptian Women Workers and Entrepreneurs : Maximizing Opportunities in the Economic Sphere

Abstract

Women are a powerful force for
 sustainable economic growth. A growing body of microeconomic
 empirical evidence and emerging macroeconomic analysis shows
 that gender inequality limits economic growth in developing
 economies. Research also shows that considerable potential
 for economic growth could be realized if countries support
 women's full economic participation. Increases in
 women's income tend to correlate with greater
 expenditure on family welfare and children, because women
 often spend a greater share of their income on their
 children's nutrition, health care, and education. From
 an economic perspective, removing gender biases and
 maintaining a level playing field reduces possible market
 distortions or malfunctioning. Moreover, promoting
 women's participation in business may bolster
 women's overall participation in the labor market,
 because women-owned businesses are more likely to employ
 other women. This report analyzes the main reasons for this
 disparity in the Arab Republic of Egypt and proposes
 solutions to level the playing field and enable women's
 full economic contributions. The Investment Climate Survey
 (ICS) of 1,156 enterprises from the manufacturing sector was
 carried out in October 2008, using the World Bank standard
 methodology. The recall questionnaire of 566 enterprises was
 conducted in October 2008. The gender workers module was
 conducted in August 2005. It sampled about 15 full-time
 workers from each firm covered by the ICS recall survey.
 About 70 percent of the ICS sample is made up of small and
 medium firms, about 85 percent of which are owned by
 individuals or families. Large firms employing more than 150
 workers account for about 30 percent of the sample. In about
 35 percent of the sample, a woman is a main shareholder; in
 15 percent of these firms, women own the majority of the firm.