Women's Entrepreneurship in Iran

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

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2. Women’s Entrepreneurship in Iran: A Comparative Perspective

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Business Environment in Iran

      • Leyla Sarfaraz

      Pages 3-31

   3. Dynamics of Women’s Entrepreneurship Development in Iran

      • Leyla Sarfaraz

      Pages 33-63

   4. Social, Human and Financial Capital and Women’s Entrepreneurship in Iran

      • Leyla Sarfaraz

      Pages 65-86

   5. Women’s Entrepreneurship Challenges and Policies in Iran

      • Leyla Sarfaraz

      Pages 87-116

3. Role Models, Growth-Oriented Iranian Women Entrepreneurs

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 117-117

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   2. Iranian Women Entrepreneurs Living in Iran

      • Leyla Sarfaraz

      Pages 119-146

   3. Iranian Women Entrepreneurs Living Abroad

      • Leyla Sarfaraz

      Pages 147-159

4. Back Matter

   Pages 161-161

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This book presents the nature, challenges and successful cases of female entrepreneurship in Iran. The first part of the book provides a comprehensive insight into Iran’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and its accessibility for women by exploring and analyzing data from relevant national and international sources, in particular from the Statistical Center of Iran, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, World Bank (Doing Business, Gender Equality and Development), World Economic Forum (Global Gender Gap Report, Global Competitiveness Report), and the United Nations Development Plan. Trends in entrepreneurial perceptions and intentions, as well as developments in entrepreneurial activity in Iran from 2008 to 2013, are also studied for both genders. In order to establish a benchmark for the relative position of Iranian women in the region, the main related indices are also compared to those in Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. In turn, the second part of the book highlights selected rolemodels of growth-oriented female Iranian entrepreneurs who have successfully run a variety of traditionally male-dominated businesses in Iran and internationally, despite the hostile business environment and various gender stereotypes.

• Cultural entrepreneurship
• GEM-Iran
• Gender bias
• Gender-gap
• Glass cieling
• Global entrepreneurship monitor
• Islamic nations

“Professor Sarfaraz’s book is authoritative, well researched, and highly informative. It is an enjoyable reading and deserves a careful examination. While reaching the last few pages, I began to crave for more and even deeper understanding that the book had methodically cultivated. I was impressed with the volume’s broad scope, depth of materials, and rich perspectives in all of its six chapters. This book has, indeed, sown the seeds of scholarly exploration of differential-gender-attributes in search of deeper entrepreneurial characteristics and possibly those in entrepreneurial internationalization. In a few words, therefore, this book speaks for itself and needs no endorsement or recommendation.” (Hamid Etemad, Editor-in Chief, Journal of International Entrepreneurship, McGill University, Montreal, Canada)

“This book provides a detailed and fascinating window on the world of women entrepreneurs in Iran. Drawing on a wide range of secondary data, Leyla Sarfaraz documents theextent to which the potential of women to contribute to the Iranian economy through entrepreneurship remains untapped. In the second half of the book, she provides inspiring examples of how women, as entrepreneurs, can succeed in difficult circumstances, and gives us a rare insight into what the women of Iran can achieve when they persist and believe in themselves: as one of them said: “will is power”.” (Professor Jonathan Levie, Director of Teaching and Knowledge Exchange, Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom)

“There is still much we don’t know about what causes differences in entrepreneurship rates between men and women. In particular, the role of geography and culture remain understudied. This interesting and important book contributes to filling this gap. The author gives us a vivid portrait of female entrepreneurship in Iran and compelling stories of Iranian business women at home and abroad. Everyone interested in entrepreneurship, gender issues and comparative studies will find this book fascinating!” (Maria Minniti, PhD, Professor and L. Bantle Chair of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, Syracuse University, NY, USA) 

• Department of Management, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

  Leyla Sarfaraz

Leyla Sarfaraz teaches at the Shiraz University, Iran, and is a member of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor since 2008. An author of three books and several peer-reviewed research articles, Layla Sarfaraz is also the editorial board member of the Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research - an Open Access journal published by Springer.

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