Empowering Women through Social Entrepreneurship: Comparative Insights from Ukraine and the Middle East
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47451/ecn2025-10-01Keywords:
women social entrepreneurship, gender equality, Middle East, Ukraine, institutional support, digital tools, social impact, female entrepreneursAbstract
This article investigates the development of women-led social entrepreneurship in Ukraine and the Middle East, focusing on how institutional frameworks, socio-cultural contexts and economic conditions shape female participation and effectiveness in this domain. The object of the study is social enterprises founded and led by women; the study aims to identify the enabling and constraining factors that influence their performance across contrasting contexts. The study uses a comparative institutional and gender-based analytical framework, integrating qualitative case analysis, content review of policy and academic documents, and a semi-systematic literature review covering the period 2014–2025. Principal theoretical contributions derive from institutional theory, gender and development theory and social innovation theory. The findings reveal that hybrid mechanisms — combining formal support and informal networks — digital tools and circular economy strategies, as well as cross-border mentorship, critically affect growth, social impact and sustainability of women’s social enterprises. In Ukraine, stronger formal institutional support and higher digital adoption correlate with greater growth and impact; in Middle Eastern contexts, women compensate through informal networks and community ties but face significant structural barriers. The results are intended to inform policymakers, practitioners and scholars designing gender-inclusive, context-sensitive interventions to advance social innovation and enterprise ecosystems.
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