L'entrepreneuriat féminin en Tunisie : du désir d’indépendance aux obstacles sociaux – Le cas du gouvernorat de Mahdia

Abstract

Despite the fairly supportive legislation pertaining to Tunisian women, their involvement in entrepreneurship remains low. Thus, the participation of women does not exceed 28.2% of the active population, compared to 65.8% for men. Similarly, while unemployment for women is around 24%, it is 15% for men. The unemployment rises to 40.7% for women with higher education, compared to 17.6% for men. As a result, there is gender disparity in entrepreneurship. Despite the improvement in their level of education and qualification, Tunisian women encounter enormous difficulties in setting up and developing their own business project. The difficulties encountered in entrepreneurship for women are studied through a survey conducted with future promoters and those already established in the region of Mahdia (Tunisian Sahel). Analyzed are the factors contributing to gender disparity, the low proportion of women entrepreneurs and the fields or types of projects they undertake. Similarly, under study is the impact of the rural and urban territory on the share of female projects and especially on the types of projects developed in the region of Mahdia.