Striving for Business Success : Voices of Liberian Women Entrepreneurs
Keywords
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCEPOSTCONFLICT SETTINGS
COMMERCIAL BANKS
FINANCIAL EDUCATION
FINANCIAL LITERACY
MARKET INFORMATION
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN
ACCESS TO FINANCE
DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES
ADULT WOMEN
CAPITAL FORMATION
CUSTOM
START-UP CAPITAL
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
INFORMATION SHARING
BANK CREDIT
SOURCES OF FINANCE
HANDICRAFTS
IMMIGRATION
INFORMATION SERVICES
BUSINESS WOMAN
BORROWING
LAND RIGHTS
SMALL BUSINESSES
POPULATION CENSUS
LABOR FORCE SURVEY
POLICY ENVIRONMENT
LOANS TO BUSINESSES
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
CAPACITY OF WOMEN
INDIVIDUAL WOMEN
VULNERABILITY
ECONOMIC GROWTH
LACK OF ACCESS
GENDER ISSUES
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
EDUCATION LEVEL
INTEREST RATES
CIVIL WAR
TECHNICAL SKILLS
BUSINESS TRAINING
UNITED NATIONS
FARMER
SITUATION OF WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
YOUNG WOMEN
RULE OF LAW
FAMILY SUPPORT
LAND OWNERSHIP
INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY
PERSONAL SAVINGS
POLITICAL INSTABILITY
PROPORTION OF WOMEN
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
BARRIERS TO ENTRY
FOOD SECURITY
LACK OF CREDIT
ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
ECONOMIC AGENTS
PREGNANCY
BUSINESS NETWORK
BUSINESS RISKS
ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN
LACK OF COLLATERAL
BANK OFFICE
ACCESS TO MARKETS
NUTRITION
FORMAL EDUCATION
BUSINESS SUCCESS
INVESTMENT CAPITAL
ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
FINANCIAL PRODUCTS
FINANCIAL APPLICATIONS
NEW BUSINESSES
BRAIN DRAIN
GENDER
GROWTH OF WOMEN
SMALL BUSINESS
FORMAL BANKS
BUSINESSWOMAN
POLICY MAKERS
ENTREPRENEUR
BUSINESS PLANS
INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION
LABOUR FORCE
FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS
LIMITED ACCESS
DEVELOPMENT FINANCE
WOMEN-BUSINESS OWNERS
CREDIT MARKETS
BUSINESS STRATEGY
GENDER NEEDS
MORTGAGE
BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS
MERCHANT
EQUITY FUNDS
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT
SMALL LOAN
MICROFINANCE
SHOP OWNER
SECURITIES
RATES OF ILLITERACY
PROGRESS
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
BUSINESS NETWORKS
GENDER EQUALITY
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
HUSBAND
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
FINANCE COMPANY
MINISTRY OF GENDER
GENDER INEQUALITIES
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
BUSINESS WOMEN
RURAL WOMEN
FINANCES
WOMEN FARMERS
ADOLESCENT GIRLS
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
REPAYMENT HISTORY
ACCESS TO CREDIT
COMMERCIAL BANK
FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
START-UP
ROLE OF WOMEN
ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN
LOANS TO WOMEN
MICROCREDIT
QUALITATIVE INFORMATION
CREDIT BUREAUS
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
LACK OF CAPITAL
FEMALE LABOR
EXTENDED FAMILIES
BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
LACK OF FINANCE
LABOR MARKET
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
BANKS
GENDER ROLES
FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR
DEPOSITORS
SELF-EMPLOYMENT
SOCIAL NETWORKS
FAMILIES
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE
FEMALE BORROWERS
GENDER GAPS
INSECURE PROPERTY
VIOLENCE
GENDER SEGREGATION
SEXUAL ASSAULT
BUSINESS PEOPLE
PROPERTY RIGHTS
WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS
CUSTOMARY LAW
BUSINESSWOMEN
BUSINESS · EDUCATION
INFORMAL NETWORKS
HOUSEHOLD CHORES
BUSINESS PLAN
BUSINESS INFORMATION
INFORMAL ECONOMY
INFORMAL SECTOR
INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS
LITERATE FEMALES
OLDER WOMEN
EDUCATION SYSTEM
FEMALE LABOR FORCE
CREDIT BUREAU
ROLE MODELS
HOUSEHOLDS
BRIBES
POLICY DIALOGUE
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
DISABLED
REPAYMENT RATES
NEEDS OF WOMEN
FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE
BUSINESS OWNER
NEEDS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
WORKFORCE
WAR
DEBT
GIRLS
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
REPAYMENT
BUSINESS ADVICE
INDIVIDUAL ENTREPRENEURS
FINANCIAL SKILLS
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES
ACCESS FOR WOMEN
PRODUCTIVITY
PEACE
FEMALE BUSINESS
BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS
BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS
CORRUPTION
FARMERS
SOURCES OF CREDIT
EARNINGS
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
ASSET OWNERSHIP
CREDIT LINES
ECONOMIC CRISIS
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http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20816Abstract
Women in post-conflict economies face a number of challenges. Often their businesses stay at embryonic stages only, due to three key limitations relating to: knowledge of business vision and management; access to finance and markets; and access to role models and networks. Added to the complexity is the risk of having to start all over again due to their countriesapos; political instability and the limited infrastructure to make their businesses proper and become more efficient over time. This report presents findings on the situation of women entrepreneurs in Liberia. It discusses the challenges that female entrepreneurs face as well as enabling factors that they encounter when operating their businesses in Liberiaapos;s post-conflict environment. Through the voices and experiences of women - as in the IFC series quot;Voices of Women Entrepreneursquot; that inspires it - this report sheds some light on the specificities of women doing business in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS), such as those in Liberia. It identifies operational lessons and proposes recommendations on how to support women entrepreneurs and contribute to their economic empowerment in the transition from post-conflict to reconstruction and development. The women interviewed for this report highlighted how obstacles, such as limited financial infrastructure, restricted access to markets, and most importantly, insufficient networks to support women entrepreneurs, stifle efforts to create sustainable solutions for women entrepreneurs. The report offers operational lessons and recommendations on how to address these challenges and support womenapos;s economic participation and empowerment.Date
2014-12-18Identifier
oai:openknowledge.worldbank.org:10986/20816http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20816
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CC BY 3.0 IGORelated items
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Egyptian Women Workers and
 Entrepreneurs : Maximizing Opportunities in the Economic SphereNasr, Sahar (World Bank, 2012-03-19)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.
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