08 Apr 2025
In many countries across the Southern and South-East Mediterranean, women continue to face significant barriers to labor force participation compared to men. According to the Global Gender Gap Index, the MENA region remains the lowest-ranked globally in terms of women’s workforce participation, despite notable progress in closing the gender gap in education access.
However, despite these statistics, women in the region play a crucial role in sectors such as food production and agriculture, both of which serve as essential sources of livelihood for many women and are vital for food security and sovereignty within their communities. Yet, employment in agriculture and food production across the Southern Mediterranean is often characterized by precarious informal conditions, including low wages, job insecurity, and a lack of social protections.
In response to these challenges, an increasing number of women have turned to entrepreneurship as a means of escaping these conditions and breaking through the “glass ceiling” that often prevents them from reaching senior leadership positions in businesses and organizations. In recent years, women have been recognized as one of the fastest-growing entrepreneurial groups worldwide, though precise data remains limited. According to the GEM 2023/24 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report, women represent “more than one-third of high-growth entrepreneurs in low-income countries.”
Entrepreneurship provides women with an opportunity to leverage their expertise in specific sectors while simultaneously gaining decision-making power and ownership over their work and skills.
"Before joining Up-Fuse, I struggled to make ends meet and provide for my children," shares Rania, a single mother from Sudan, working for Egyptian Switcher UP-Fuse, founded by Yara Yassin. "But here, I've learned new skills, found a sense of community, and most importantly, I can finally support my family."
Reports and testimonies from women entrepreneurs underscore their crucial role in driving societal development and well-being. Many integrate profit-making objectives with environmental and social goals, demonstrating a commitment to sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Women entrepreneurs contribute significantly to job creation, wealth generation, poverty reduction, human development, education, and healthcare, playing an essential role in national development.
Moreover, they are increasingly engaging in green and sustainable business ventures, positioning themselves at the forefront of the green transition and the shift toward a circular economy. By doing so, they not only contribute to environmental sustainability but also advance women’s economic empowerment, advancing greater resilience and innovation within their communities.
WingWoman Lebanon (WWL) is one example of a successful, women-led green enterprise in the Southern Mediterranean region. Founded in 2020 by Meelie Pemberton, WWL is a Lebanese NGO that produces reusable period pads and diapers, offering a sustainable alternative to disposable hygiene products. Each reusable diaper pack replaces approximately 6,000 disposable diapers, significantly reducing landfill waste and contributing to environmental sustainability.
Beyond its environmental impact, WWL has a transformative socio-economic role, particularly for vulnerable women in Lebanon, including Syrian and Palestinian refugees. These women not only handcraft the reusable diapers and pads but also manage the daily operations of the NGO, fostering financial and social independence. Over the past few years, WWL has created more than 27 jobs, providing a stable source of income and economic empowerment for women in need.
In addition to its environmental and economic contributions, WWL is also committed to breaking taboos around menstruation and raising awareness about women’s health issues in local communities. This three-dimensional mission—combining sustainability, economic empowerment, and education—has not been without challenges. However, thanks to Meelie and her team’s perseverance, passion, and professionalism, WWL has continued to grow and thrive over the past five years, demonstrating the power of women-led social entrepreneurship in driving meaningful change.
In a similar initiative that tackles both environmental challenges and socio-economic vulnerabilities, Leila Horchani, from a small village near Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, has established Bio Ferme Warda, an organic farm cultivating crops such as potatoes and olives while also raising sheep, cattle, and poultry. Her goal is to produce and supply high-quality organic agricultural products, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional farming practices.
With her project, Leila is taking a stand against the widespread use of non-degradable and highly toxic pesticides in Tunisia’s agriculture, advocating for a shift toward environmentally responsible farming. At the same time, she is addressing the harsh realities faced by rural women in Tunisia, who make up 35% of the country’s female population and 58% of the rural workforce. Many of these women endure precarious working conditions, including low wages, long hours, and exploitative contracts, often without health protections or labor rights.
Having witnessed these injustices firsthand, Leila, with the help of her rural women friends has finally created a cooperative that sells all sorts of organic produce such as beans, cereals, herbs, spices and vegetables. Her mission goes beyond providing fair wages and job security—she also aims to empower women by sharing the knowledge and expertise she has gained as a green entrepreneur, enabling them to build more sustainable livelihoods and participate in the green economy.
In a similarly challenging context, Aisha Dweikat launched her green enterprise “Aisha Design”with a vision to create job opportunities while promoting recycling and upcycling. Inspired by Palestinian creative heritage and the resourcefulness of residents in Jenin Refugee Camp, where people often repurpose discarded materials, Aisha sought to transform this necessity into a sustainable business model.
Jenin Camp, a densely populated area in the town of Jenin, West Bank, is marked by high unemployment and poverty, particularly among youth and women. Recognizing this, Aisha founded Aisha Design in 2018—a brand that designs and produces handcrafted accessories inspired by Palestinian heritage, using scrap and leftover materials such as wood, sponge, and fabric. Through her initiative, she aims to raise awareness about overconsumption and its harmful environmental impact while also promoting economic empowerment. Aisha envisions Aisha Design as more than just a business; she sees it as a community-driven project that provides stable jobs and income for refugee and low-income women in the camp.
While these women-led initiatives face considerable challenges due to the difficult contexts in which they operate, their impact is profound and far-reaching. They demonstrate how women entrepreneurs are driving positive change in their communities—promoting sustainability, preserving cultural heritage, and creating economic opportunities for vulnerable populations, especially women.