Women entrepreneurs in the Lebanese Crisis: Coping practices and resiliency

This paper aims to develop the issues met by women entrepreneurs in a crisis context. We will focus on the coping practices implemented by Lebanese women entrepreneurs to be able to maintain their businesses despite a lot of adverse events and a complex context. By doing that, we will contribute to the reflection on resiliency in entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurs act and cope during crises. The number of women entrepreneurs worldwide was estimated to be around 163 million in 2019 (GEM 2021). Interestingly, the percentage of women entrepreneurs in developing countries (25%) is higher than in developed countries (13%) (GEM, 2023) since women in emerging economies perceive entrepreneurship as an effective way to improve their family incomes (Kharroubi et al., 2021; Ahmetaj, Kruja and Hysa, 2023). Modern history has witnessed many destructive crises that have led to notable and long-lasting economic, political, and social impacts such as the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the entire globe (Rauch et Hulsink 2023; Williams et al. 2017; Williams et Shepherd 2016). Such large-scale shocks have attracted many scholars to study the effects of the crisis on entrepreneurs’ performance and resilience ((Doern, Williams, et Vorley 2019; Lee et al. 2023; Portuguez Castro et Gómez Zermeño 2021; Rauch et Hulsink 2023). Therefore, research that tackles women entrepreneurs in conflict-related contexts is promising and would highly contribute to the literature as more and more researchers are calling for studies in this domain (Jaim 2020; Tlaiss et Kauser 2019; Williams et al. 2017). Our study explore how Lebanese women entrepreneurs are able to cope with various stressful adversities during the current Lebanese crisis to become more resilient. We aim to provide a voice for Lebanese women entrepreneurs who are conquering an unprecedented crisis in a developing country that is highly patriarchal. Lebanon presents unique characteristics (social, cultural, religious) that create a particular context for these women entrepreneurs that should be considered(Baker et Welter 2020) (Baker et Welter 2020). Our methodology is qualitative with an interpretative perspective. We are currently undertaking semi-structured interviews with Lebanese women entrepreneurs on their lived experience of crisis as entrepreneurs, the effects on their businesses, their coping strategies, their resources, and the effects on themselves as women. One of the authors is herself an entrepreneur in Lebanon and therefore has privileged access to Lebanese businesswomen's networks. The collection of data is in progress. More than 25 women will be interviewed. Preliminary results will be ready to be presented. From an academic perspective, we aim to enrich the academic knowledge about the mechanisms of coping and resilience in a crisis context. By utilizing a gender analysis in the context of crisis management, we will offer a relevant framework to understand women entrepreneurship in MENA context by taking into account context. Our practical contributions will provide evidence-based recommendations for policymakers in Lebanon. We aim to contribute to developing better public policies that would support women entrepreneurs. In turn, this study is an opportunity to give a voice to Lebanese women entrepreneurs Baker, Ted, et Friederike Welter. 2020. Contextualizing Entrepreneurship Theory. 1re éd. New York, NY, US: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351110631. Doern, Rachel, Nick Williams, et Tim Vorley. 2019. « Special issue on entrepreneurship and crises: business as usual? An introduction and review of the literature ». Entrepreneurship & Regional Development 31 (1): 1‑13. GEM. 2021. « Women’s Entrepreneurship 2020/21: Thriving Through Crisis ». Jaim, Jasmine. 2020. « Exist or Exit? Women Business‐owners in Bangladesh during COVID‐19 ». Gender, Work & Organization, octobre, gwao.12546. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12546. Lee, Yoowoo, Jayoung Kim, Sunghyuck Mah, et Angela Karr. 2023. « Entrepreneurship in Times of Crisis: A Comprehensive Review with Future Directions », Entrepreneurship Research Journal, . https://doi.org/10.1515/erj-2022-0366. Portuguez Castro, May, et Marcela Georgina Gómez Zermeño. 2021. « Being an Entrepreneur Post-COVID-19 – Resilience in Times of Crisis: A Systematic Literature Review ». Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies 13 (4): 721‑46. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-07-2020-0246. Rauch, Andreas, et Willem Hulsink. 2023. « Just one Damned Thing After Another: Towards an Event-based Perspective of Entrepreneurship ». Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 47 (3): 662‑81. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587211061738. Tlaiss, Hayfaa A., et Saleema Kauser. 2019. « Entrepreneurial Leadership, Patriarchy, Gender, and Identity in the Arab World: Lebanon in Focus ». Journal of Small Business Management 57 (2): 517‑37. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12397. Williams, Trenton A., Daniel A. Gruber, Kathleen M. Sutcliffe, Dean A. Shepherd, et Eric Yanfei Zhao. 2017. « Organizational Response to Adversity: Fusing Crisis Management and Resilience Research Streams ». Academy of Management Annals 11 (2): 733‑69. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2015.0134. Williams, Trenton A., et Dean A. Shepherd. 2016. « Building Resilience or Providing Sustenance: Different Paths of Emergent Ventures in the Aftermath of the Haiti Earthquake ». Academy of Management Journal 59 (6): 2069‑2102. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.0682.