Business incubators for women entrepreneurs in the Middle East are developing regardless of social barriers, it was revealed at a conference.

A conference held the during the fifth MENAinc workshop on 'Women Entrepreneurships and Business Incubation' at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre introduced a panel of four women who have taken a leading role in developing incubators designed for women.

The Syrian-based Motivating and Activating Women's Role in Economic Development founder board member, Khulud Halaby, said the most important step in developing women entrepreneurs is through support from family and friends to take the first step in initiating a business plan.

"When I began working in business I was not taken seriously," Halaby told the Gulf Daily News, our sister newspaper.

"In Middle East women are hesitant to formulate an idea due to social and family pressure that deems success to be crucial.

"When I began to manage our family business I was not taken seriously by many male members of the company. This didn't bother me as it gave me the manoeuvrability to build my foundations."

Tunisia-based Elgazala Technopark Business Incubator spokewoman Soukaina Rahmani said that although in Tunisia there are equal rights for men and women the number of female entrepreneurs in the country does not amount to a large percentage.

"The women entrepreneurs whose businesses we have incubated have tended to go into clothing and textiles or other feminine-related sectors," Rahmani said. "This should not stereotype women, the same rules of business apply to both men and women.

"The idea is not to drive women into sectors you do not expect them to work in but to aid them in accessing their personal skills and developing them into a sustainable business."

"In the Middle East and North Africa region there needs to be more of a push for women to have an enabling environment," Washington-based sponsors of the event, infoDev programme administrator Ellen Olafson said.

"In the US, the role of the woman at the workplace is recognised as having a complimentary effect. The reason for this conference is to educate and raise awareness for women entrepreneurs to realise their capabilities." -TradeArabia News Service