According to a recent report, there are currently some 18,000 women heads of enterprises in Tunisia .
The report which was presented on Wednesday on the occasion of a symposium of Tunisian women heads of enterprises, was jointly carried out by the International Foundation of Financing and Co-operation, and the Arab Women Centre for Training and Research (CAWTAR).
The document marks the final stage of a research and opinion poll conducted among businesswomen and includes data and indicators pertaining to investment and potentialities of businesswomen's organizations and associations.
The report is a useful tool for decision-makers, insofar as it presents reliable information which might help them enhance women's participation in investment and boost their role in the economy.
In her opening address, the Minister of women's affairs, children, family and the elderly, Mrs Sarra Kanoun Jarraya, stressed the initiatives and legislation promoting women in Tunisia , saying that the aims of the 11 th plan were to raise the part of active women in Tunisia 's population to 28,7% by 2011.
Mrs. Carmen Niethammer, director in charge of the Foundation's program for gender and business activities, presented a paper on businesswomen in the MENA region.
In her presentation, Mrs Niethammer shed light on the role played by businesswomen in economic growth, pointing out the urgent need to carry out studies on the situation and needs of businesswomen which should be considered by decision-makers, financial institutions and investment-support organizations as references.
-- Tunisia Online
Showing posts with label poll. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poll. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
UAE: High rents make UAE firms struggle for survival
DUBAI - A survey among 110 business women, Emiratis and other nationalities, in the UAE has revealed exorbitant rents in the emirates was one of the major challenges in running their business.
The findings of the report, Women Business Owners in the United Arab Emirates, which is a part of a regional project focusing on other countries like Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia, were disclosed at an event on Thursday in Dubai Women's College (DWC).
The survey, which was conducted between September and October 2006, also noted that the business women surveyed, aged 25 to 44 years, in the UAE were well-educated and optimistic about their future.
Dr. Monica Gallant, Business Department Chair at DWC and UAE research partner, said, 'They run small, technology-enhanced, mostly service type businesses that tend to have international connections and are generally self-funded.'
At least 73 per cent of them were well-educated and held post-graduate degrees. Of the surveyed women, 47 per cent were Emiratis and rest Europeans, Lebanese, South Africans and Americans.
Dr Gallant said the challenges faced by these women entrepreneurs included, 'high costs of rent, finding and keeping good employees, balancing work and family, access to start-up capital, access to technology and being taken seriously as they were women.'
Raja Easa Al Gurg, President of Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), a subsidiary of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), explained that 44 per cent of the women-owned businesses in the UAE are small and only 2 per cent are medium-sized.
The survey results identified that one of the main challenges facing women-owned businesses is access to capital. Two new initiatives have been launched in the UAE to address the needs and to encourage business women to invest in funds that are run by recognised banks and highly recommended investors. For example, Forsa is a fund that caters to wealthy women who aim to invest amounts over Dh1 million. Enmaa is a fund for investors from the business community who wish to invest amounts starting from $1,000.
About 45 per cent of the women felt that one of the three most important areas for the government to address was to create special loan funds or loan guarantee schemes to help business women with financing. As much as 32 per cent favoured the development of a special government advisory board for women's business development issues.
Thirty-seven per cent reported that one of the three most important issues was the reduction in the amount of money it took to register a business and 35 per cent highly desired a change in employment laws to increase business flexibility for hiring and replacing workers.
Gurg emphasised the importance of providing independent studies and precise statistics dealing with different issues and fields concerning the UAE and its women, in particular, and regional and global societies, in general, because of the benefits for decision makers since it helps them set future strategies and plans based on right scientific rules and parameters.
The capacity building project was undertaken and is managed jointly by the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) Gender Entrepreneurship Markets (GEM) programme and the Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) in partnership with local business women's associations and research centres.
In the UAE, the DWC is the research centre, working in cooperation with DBWC and other associations. The report intends to expand knowledge of women's entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by conducting a survey of female-owned businesses in the five countries.
'This report on women business owners in the United Arab Emirates, helps recognise the increasingly important role that business women play in the country's dynamic economy. The project covers most of the business aspects and statistics of local business activities and gives an insight into the characteristics and challenges of female business owners,' she added.
Interestingly, more business-related websites have been set up by expatriates, while locals constituted a small number. This reinforced the need for technological training among local women.
By Preeti Kannan, Khaleej Times
The findings of the report, Women Business Owners in the United Arab Emirates, which is a part of a regional project focusing on other countries like Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia, were disclosed at an event on Thursday in Dubai Women's College (DWC).
The survey, which was conducted between September and October 2006, also noted that the business women surveyed, aged 25 to 44 years, in the UAE were well-educated and optimistic about their future.
Dr. Monica Gallant, Business Department Chair at DWC and UAE research partner, said, 'They run small, technology-enhanced, mostly service type businesses that tend to have international connections and are generally self-funded.'
At least 73 per cent of them were well-educated and held post-graduate degrees. Of the surveyed women, 47 per cent were Emiratis and rest Europeans, Lebanese, South Africans and Americans.
Dr Gallant said the challenges faced by these women entrepreneurs included, 'high costs of rent, finding and keeping good employees, balancing work and family, access to start-up capital, access to technology and being taken seriously as they were women.'
Raja Easa Al Gurg, President of Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), a subsidiary of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), explained that 44 per cent of the women-owned businesses in the UAE are small and only 2 per cent are medium-sized.
The survey results identified that one of the main challenges facing women-owned businesses is access to capital. Two new initiatives have been launched in the UAE to address the needs and to encourage business women to invest in funds that are run by recognised banks and highly recommended investors. For example, Forsa is a fund that caters to wealthy women who aim to invest amounts over Dh1 million. Enmaa is a fund for investors from the business community who wish to invest amounts starting from $1,000.
About 45 per cent of the women felt that one of the three most important areas for the government to address was to create special loan funds or loan guarantee schemes to help business women with financing. As much as 32 per cent favoured the development of a special government advisory board for women's business development issues.
Thirty-seven per cent reported that one of the three most important issues was the reduction in the amount of money it took to register a business and 35 per cent highly desired a change in employment laws to increase business flexibility for hiring and replacing workers.
Gurg emphasised the importance of providing independent studies and precise statistics dealing with different issues and fields concerning the UAE and its women, in particular, and regional and global societies, in general, because of the benefits for decision makers since it helps them set future strategies and plans based on right scientific rules and parameters.
The capacity building project was undertaken and is managed jointly by the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) Gender Entrepreneurship Markets (GEM) programme and the Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) in partnership with local business women's associations and research centres.
In the UAE, the DWC is the research centre, working in cooperation with DBWC and other associations. The report intends to expand knowledge of women's entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by conducting a survey of female-owned businesses in the five countries.
'This report on women business owners in the United Arab Emirates, helps recognise the increasingly important role that business women play in the country's dynamic economy. The project covers most of the business aspects and statistics of local business activities and gives an insight into the characteristics and challenges of female business owners,' she added.
Interestingly, more business-related websites have been set up by expatriates, while locals constituted a small number. This reinforced the need for technological training among local women.
By Preeti Kannan, Khaleej Times
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Jordan: 81 per cent of respondents support democratic principles - poll
AMMAN - Although a vast majority of Jordanians support democratic principles, many do not believe that citizens should have greater influence over the government’s decision making, according to the results of a poll on “Democracy and the Will of the People” released on Tuesday.
The survey, conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org and supported and coordinated by the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, revealed that 81 per cent of respondents agreed that the will of the public should be the basis of the government’s authority.
In addition, 71 per cent believe that the government should be selected through elections in which all citizens can vote, according to the poll.
Some 44 per cent of respondents said the will of the public should have a greater influence over the government, 27 per cent thought it should stay the same, while 17 per cent felt that the public should have less influence over government affairs.
When asked how much the Kingdom should be governed by the will of people on a 10-point scale (10 representing “completely”), respondents gave an average response of 6.6, the second lowest of all the countries polled and well below the average national response of 8.0.
In the same poll, Iranian respondents reported an 8.4 rating, followed by Egypt (8.3) and the Palestinian territories (7.6).
Asked how much the country is currently being governed by the will of the public, however, respondents gave the Kingdom an average 5.4 rating, one of the highest in all polled countries.
A majority of respondents, some 54 per cent, said they trust the government to “do the right thing most of the time,” making Jordan one of five countries polled, where the majority held this view.
Some 38 per cent of respondents said they “just about always” trusted the government to do the right thing, while 41 per cent said they only trust the government “some of the time”.
In the same survey, 84 per cent of Egyptian, 55 per cent of Palestinian and 48 per cent of Iranian respondents said they trusted their government to do what is right “most of the time”.
Jordanians were divided on whether the Kingdom is run by big interests or by the will of the public, split evenly at 47 per cent apiece.
A vast majority of citizens, 89 per cent, reportedly favour the Kingdom’s leaders paying attention to public opinion polls when making an important decision, while 8 per cent believe that public opinion distracts leaders from using their own judgement.
In comparison, 72 per cent of Egyptians favour their government taking public opinion into account, while 68 per cent of Iranians, 47 per cent of Palestinians and 42 per cent of Turks also share that view.
The study, conducted in 19 nations across the world, concluded that in every nation polled, the public supports democratic principles, while majorities of nearly every nation are dissatisfied with how responsive their governments are to the will of the people.
The poll of 17,525 respondents was conducted between January and March of this year by a collaborative research project involving research centres from across the world and managed by the Programme on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.
By Taylor Luck, The Jordan Times
The survey, conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org and supported and coordinated by the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, revealed that 81 per cent of respondents agreed that the will of the public should be the basis of the government’s authority.
In addition, 71 per cent believe that the government should be selected through elections in which all citizens can vote, according to the poll.
Some 44 per cent of respondents said the will of the public should have a greater influence over the government, 27 per cent thought it should stay the same, while 17 per cent felt that the public should have less influence over government affairs.
When asked how much the Kingdom should be governed by the will of people on a 10-point scale (10 representing “completely”), respondents gave an average response of 6.6, the second lowest of all the countries polled and well below the average national response of 8.0.
In the same poll, Iranian respondents reported an 8.4 rating, followed by Egypt (8.3) and the Palestinian territories (7.6).
Asked how much the country is currently being governed by the will of the public, however, respondents gave the Kingdom an average 5.4 rating, one of the highest in all polled countries.
A majority of respondents, some 54 per cent, said they trust the government to “do the right thing most of the time,” making Jordan one of five countries polled, where the majority held this view.
Some 38 per cent of respondents said they “just about always” trusted the government to do the right thing, while 41 per cent said they only trust the government “some of the time”.
In the same survey, 84 per cent of Egyptian, 55 per cent of Palestinian and 48 per cent of Iranian respondents said they trusted their government to do what is right “most of the time”.
Jordanians were divided on whether the Kingdom is run by big interests or by the will of the public, split evenly at 47 per cent apiece.
A vast majority of citizens, 89 per cent, reportedly favour the Kingdom’s leaders paying attention to public opinion polls when making an important decision, while 8 per cent believe that public opinion distracts leaders from using their own judgement.
In comparison, 72 per cent of Egyptians favour their government taking public opinion into account, while 68 per cent of Iranians, 47 per cent of Palestinians and 42 per cent of Turks also share that view.
The study, conducted in 19 nations across the world, concluded that in every nation polled, the public supports democratic principles, while majorities of nearly every nation are dissatisfied with how responsive their governments are to the will of the people.
The poll of 17,525 respondents was conducted between January and March of this year by a collaborative research project involving research centres from across the world and managed by the Programme on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.
By Taylor Luck, The Jordan Times
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
West Bank/Gaza: Women are still more Supportive of Hamas
Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) conducted an opinion poll dated 16-18 January 2008 after and during the latest Gaza attacks. A representative sample, of 3200 Palestinians, was interviewed in all West Bank and Gaza districts.
The main results were published on January the 23rd showing a decline in the support for Fateh and a slight increase in the support for Hamas. One must note that the latest attacks on Gaza influenced Palestinian views on most issues. Other important factors in this poll were gender, age and education that are clearly correlated with political attitudes.
During the last decade, various polls had shown that women, youth and educated Palestinians comprised the main bulk of support for Hamas. This poll shows major shifts, where these groups do not seem to be as supportive of the movement as traditionally believed. The opposite is true for Fateh that seems to have made gains among young and educated respondents, but still lagging behind among women.
Fewer Women Supporting Hamas; No Signs of Reconciliation between Women and Fateh
Previous polling had shown that fewer women, than men, support the peace process, and more women, than men, support Hamas. The current poll shows a continuation in the gender gap for most political issues, but a declining gap on support for Hamas. Women are, however, still more reluctant to support Fateh.
Around 31% of men fully support the outcome of Annapolis and the continuation of negotiations.
This view is shared by 23% of the female respondents.
Again, 39% of men support the division of Jerusalem and exchange of sovereignty, compared with 25% of women.
51% of men support steps taken by Abbas to end the occupation, compared with 41% among women.
28% of women believe that Hamas has a real alternative to end the occupation, compared with 23% of men.
In terms of support for Hamas, the gender gap is declining with only 18% of the women stating that they will vote for the movement, compared with 16% among men.
When it comes to Fateh, the gender gap continues where 27% of the women and 37% of the men declared that they might vote for Fateh in a PLC election.
The main results were published on January the 23rd showing a decline in the support for Fateh and a slight increase in the support for Hamas. One must note that the latest attacks on Gaza influenced Palestinian views on most issues. Other important factors in this poll were gender, age and education that are clearly correlated with political attitudes.
During the last decade, various polls had shown that women, youth and educated Palestinians comprised the main bulk of support for Hamas. This poll shows major shifts, where these groups do not seem to be as supportive of the movement as traditionally believed. The opposite is true for Fateh that seems to have made gains among young and educated respondents, but still lagging behind among women.
Fewer Women Supporting Hamas; No Signs of Reconciliation between Women and Fateh
Previous polling had shown that fewer women, than men, support the peace process, and more women, than men, support Hamas. The current poll shows a continuation in the gender gap for most political issues, but a declining gap on support for Hamas. Women are, however, still more reluctant to support Fateh.
Around 31% of men fully support the outcome of Annapolis and the continuation of negotiations.
This view is shared by 23% of the female respondents.
Again, 39% of men support the division of Jerusalem and exchange of sovereignty, compared with 25% of women.
51% of men support steps taken by Abbas to end the occupation, compared with 41% among women.
28% of women believe that Hamas has a real alternative to end the occupation, compared with 23% of men.
In terms of support for Hamas, the gender gap is declining with only 18% of the women stating that they will vote for the movement, compared with 16% among men.
When it comes to Fateh, the gender gap continues where 27% of the women and 37% of the men declared that they might vote for Fateh in a PLC election.
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