The Empowerment of Women in Islamic Economies: The Bosnia and Herzegovina Experience with a Focus on Business Problems in a Women’s Small Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Islam encourages and supports efforts to involve women in social life, to integrate them through many courses and, together with men, to share the burden of the road towards the development and prosperity of society. The only condition set before a woman is the consistent adherence to shariah rules and principles and to jealously guarding their Islamic dignity. The economic empowerment of women through entrepreneurship and small business offers a huge space for the introduction of real changes in their lives. Although in many sectors shown as a positive example, and as a trend in the economic reality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, women’s small entrepreneurship is challenged to respond to the current economic recession. In order to gain strength and in turn to help the healing of the whole economy, such empowerment has to be first of all legally recognized (as it is in most countries of the world and neighbouring countries) both by statistical and by legislative institutions. Only by creating the basic preconditions for recognizing and evaluating women’s business can it become possible to address all the problems facing female entrepreneurship in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a systematic and rational way. Unfortunately, like many other unexplored aspects of life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is almost no relevant and ongoing research on problems facing women in small entrepreneurship. Therefore, the primary goal of this research is, through a descriptive study, to determine whether and to what extent business problems are present in a women’s small entrepreneurship in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research on this topic was based on primary data collection methods and testing techniques drawing on surveys. To this end, we have interviewed 125 women entrepreneurs in small business in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In connection with the interpretation of the data obtained, the research will in this regard provide recommendations for measures to ensure the initial conditions (empowerment through all forms of education and training) that would result in a larger (self-) employment of women and their increased participation in economic activities.