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The American University in Cairo

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Women Business Associations in Egypt

In 1995 the first women business association in Egypt was established followed by several other associations such as:

1-Women Business Egypt Association

2-Women Business Reform
3-Women Business association for Development
4-Egyptian Women Business Association
5-Menoufia Women Business Association
6-Assiut Women Business Association
7-Menya Women Business Association
8-Sharkia Women Business Association
9-Banha Women Business Association
10-Alexandria Women Business Association
11-Mansoura Women Business Association
12-Suez Women Business Association
13-Tenth of Ramadan Women Business Association
14-South Sinai Women Business Association
15-Aswan Women Business Association
16-Beheira Women Business Association
17-Kafr El-Sheikh Women Business Association
18-New Valley Women Business Association
19-Egyptian Business Investor Association
20-Communitys' Women Association for Import
21-Egyptian Association for Marketing and Development
22-Arab Alliance for Women Association in Menoufia

  
 

Objectives of Women Business Associations

Adapt a suitable economic situation to help business women to overcome their obstacles in labor market and play their role in the development process.

Provide consultation, technical and legal services for business women.

Attend international and national conferences.

Raise awareness of business women through some lectures and seminars.

Address problems of business women to find solutions.

Support SME's projects (small micro enterprise project).

Establish Information Centers and IT Program.

Women business associations are a new worldwide trend to support the needs of women entrepreneurs. They are an economic and political recognition of women in business. Membership development through more active and empowered membership.

  
 

What do Women Business Organizations Provide?

Source: (Nassar, H. 2000)
 

Women business organizations can provide access, organization and advocacy, training, fundraising and networking as follows

 

Access

Women's business organizations offer access to sources of credit, training, international trade fairs, as well as access to the more basic skills of operations management and marketing. In addition women's business organization can also provide access to information for identifying markets. They can provide businesswomen with important industry information and data needed for marketing.

Organization

Women' business organizations are a means to organize women within the business community identifying their interests and then advocating for them. These organizations grow in importance when women opportunities and needs grow. Hence, business organizations need to expand and develop their capabilities and services accordingly to be able to meet businesswomen growing needs.
 

Advocacy

Successfully targeted advocacy is critical if women are to overcome the institutional formal and informal constraints that continue to undermine their contribution to economic life. Advocacy can empower women-owned firms. It can change laws that hold women back from business' ownership and undermine their ability to use collateral to obtain financing. Advocacy is needed to make women's business flourish and grow.

Training

Business associations can help in offering and funding managerial training .

Networking

It is essential to expand women's business to the whole society.

Organizational fundraising

The most important objective of women's organizations is to develop strategies for cost recovery as well as for self financing to grow independent from donor agency support. (CIPE, 2000)

  
 

Characteristics of Women in Business

 This section presents a pilot survey on businesswomen in Egypt as published in Nassar, H., et al. 1999
 Age Characteristics
 While participation rates for women in economic activities reaches its peak in the age bracket 15-25 years, businesswomen are mainly concentrated in the age bracket 25-35 years. This means that women running or willing to be businesswomen are older than the general picture of employed females as this latter category (the majority of working females) enters the labor market in relatively earlier age categories. To start business capital, connections, experience and talents are needed.
 

Age of women in business

Age Categories

Businesswomen (%)

Willing to be Businesswomen (%)

20-25

3.8

23.1

25-30

0

15.4

30-35

7.69

0

35-40

15.38

23.07 

40-45

23.077

38.46

45-50

7.69

0

50-55

7.69

0

55-60

34.61

0

Total

100.00

100

 

Source: Nassar, H. et al. 1999

 

Educational characteristics

 The majority of women in business and more than half of those who want to be businesswomen have a university or above university degree.
 

Educational status of business women

Educational Status

Businesswomen (%)

Willing to be Businesswomen (%)

Illiterate

7.7 

Read and write only

3.6

0

General preparatory

3.6

7.7 

General secondary

3.6

Technical Secondary

0

23.1

Intermediate institute

0

7.7

University or above university

89.3

53.8

Total

100.00

100

 

Source: Nassar, H. et al. 1999

 Marital Status
 Most businesswomen are married and one tenth of them are widowed. It was expected to find a higher proportion of the women willing to be businesswomen single as their average age is younger.
 

Marital status of businesswomen

Businesswomen (%)

Willing to be Businesswomen (%)

Single

15.4 

Engaged

3.6

7.7

Married

78.6

76.9 

Divorced

7.1

Widowed

10.7

0

Total

100.00

100

 

Source: Nassar, H. et al. 1999

 
 

Type of projects or economic activities

 

Production, services and advertisement are the main activities for businesswomen, while production activities are the aim for women who want to start business.
Most women choose their economic activity because it is suitable for their study and interests, while others chose it because they have experience in this field of activity or enjoy support of their families
 

 

Economic activities of female businesses

Actual or desired economy activity

Businesswomen (%)

Willing to be Businesswomen (%)

Production

25.8 

69.2  

Services

9.6

15.3

Trade

22.6 

7.7 

Advertisement

22.6

Multidisciplinary

9.7

0

Others

9.7

7.7

Total

100.00

100

 

Source: Nassar, H. et al. 1999

 Women in production activities work mainly in agricultural activities and in the area of food industry and ready made clothes, while women in service business work mainly in tourism activities or have a financial or monetary business, which are also the desired areas for women willing to start new business.
 

Nature of production activities of businesswomen

Nature of production activity

Businesswomen (%)

Willing to be Businesswomen (%)

Planting and Agriculture

27.27

6.7

Metal industry

4.55

6.7

Food industry

18.18

33.3

Ready made clothes industry

13.64

13.3

Wood and furniture industry

4.55

6.7

Paper and  industry

4.55

0

Chemical industries

-

6.7

Others

27.27

26.7

Total

100.00

100

 

Source: Nassar, H. et al. 1999

Nature of service activities of businesswomen

What is the nature of the service activity?

Businesswomen (%)

Willing to be Businesswomen (%)

Tourism

25 

9.09

Transportation

12.5

9.1

Providing raw materials

0

18.2

Finance

12.5

9.1

Monetary

18.8

0

Personal services

25

27.37 

Others

6.3 

27.3

Total

100.00

100

 

Source: Nassar, H. et al. 1999

 Source of finance for women in business
 Women rely mainly on their own sources in financing their business, which constitute 67.9% of the finance for this sample, while loans and the gameya systems are their second and third option. For new businesswomen, loans are of the first priority.
 

Sources of finance for businesswomen

What are your sources of finance?

Businesswomen (%)

Willing to be Businesswomen (%)

Self-finance

67.9

13.3

Loan

14.3

60

Gameya

10.7 

6.7

Sale of things

0

6.7

Others

7.1 

13.3

Total

100.00

100

Source: Nassar, H. et al. 1999

 
  
  
 

Enhancing the status of women in business

Source: Nassar, H. et al. 1999

General suggestions

 

Create a better business environment.

Enhance productivity in the exportable commodity sectors.

Transparency and corporate governance.
 

 

 IT and information
Master technology.
Establish a Data Bank for SMEs.
Provide Market information database to guide investment.
  
 Education and Training
 

Provide proper education to develop commitment.

Raise awareness among youth and disseminating success stories using different media facilities.

Establish training centers for workers. An institute for training management that offers feasibility studies and provides factual data and statistics is important. This institute should be funded by business enterprises, which would then employ the graduates of the institute.
Combination of training in handicrafts with literacy classes
  
 Production requirements

Provide a guide for entrepreneurs in Egypt so that young people do not duplicate projects that are "successful" and thereby flood the market.

Establish a center for clothes manufacturers to advise on styles and fashions,and products that are marketable.

Standardization of sizes and measures.
  
 

Finance

 

Lack of banking facilities and difficult custom rules are the main constraints mentioned by business women.

Access to a revolving loan fund.

Funding for various projects by outlining business plans
  
 

Marketing

Quality control is important in order to be able to compete with imports.

Establishment of marketing centrals.
  
 

More Links

Women Entrepreneurs in the Global Economy
 
  
  
  
  
  
 

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