Starting a business is becoming increasingly common and is viewed as an effective solution to reduce unemployment among men and women. In light of the increasing obstacles women face in the public and private sectors, many unemployed Saudi women have turned to entrepreneurship, instead of waiting for a job opportunity to come their way. Today, Saudi women are owners of 20 percent of small businesses in the country. Al-Riyadh daily reports on what is fueling entrepreneurship among women. The road has never been easy but Saudi women have carved a way out and accomplished their goals in the business world. Ghada Al-Turki is one such woman. She owns a thriving handicraft store. Before starting it, she had a government job, which was unrelated to what she studied in college. "I am a creative person who loves to innovate and express my art. The job I was doing was mundane. I quit and started practicing my favorite hobby, which is handicrafts," she said. She warned women wanting to start their own business that they will face numerous challenges and obstacles but said perseverance would ultimately pay off. Al-Turki believes that women in Saudi society continue to face obstacles on various fronts that make finding a job in both the government and private sectors difficult. "Social stigma is still attached to many things women do. For example, many families have made their daughters quit their jobs and stop pursuing their dreams all because of social stigma. Some fields will always be off-limits to women such as real estate. I once tried selling and purchasing land owned by families and was surprised how clients were dubious of my skills and capabilities to close business deals," she said. Yasmeen Al-Sudais holds a master's degree in design management. She worked on her skills in different countries while her husband was studying. She focused on interior design and excelled in the field. "I always dreamed of starting my own business when I returned to the Kingdom. I started my business in 2012 and I started it off on the right foot," she said. Al-Sudais said it is an often-repeated misconception that women do not want to work. The truth, she said, is the opposite and that the number one hindrance is a combination of a lack of opportunities and social pressures. "The reason why unemployment is prevalent among women has nothing to do with women. There are so many obstacles lying ahead of women that continue to prevent them from showing their skills," she added. A study conducted by Al-Qassim on obstacles women face in starting a business showed that social hurdles followed by educational and financial ones are the most difficult to overcome. Under social obstacles falls tribal customs; certain tribes do not allow their women to run businesses on their own because it is a social stigma. It is often believed that such behavior will reduce a woman's chances of getting married. Another obstacle is the mainstream social thought that women cannot run a business by themselves and need a man's help. Educational obstacles include the inability of current educational systems to help female students develop their skills so they can thrive in a business environment. Another obstacle is that students of nursing, medicine and pharmacology do not feel the need to start own businesses and prefer jobs in the private or government sector. Financial obstacles included a shortage of special financial institutions that help women obtain loans to start a small business. Munirah Al-Dhafar, photographer and interior designer, started her photography studio and began posting photographs of her home's interior designs on Instagram, something which would later fuel business growth. "Every time I posted photos on my Instagram account, I found a lot of people asking me who made the designs. I enrolled in an interior design diploma program and unleashed my inner talents. Today, I'm an interior designing consultant and people come to me for help," she said. In her opinion, a woman who wants to start a business needs her family's support as well as financial help. Most businesswomen she knows were helped by their own families when they opened their businesses.
