Strategies of women entrepreneurs in the oases of Ghardaïa, Algeria: adapting to a patriarchal context and seizing new economic opportunities

In the Maghreb, women entrepreneurs face many economic, social and cultural constraints. These constraints, identified in numerous studies, often severely limit women's ability to initiate and develop their entrepreneurial projects. The study analyses the strategies used by women entrepreneurs to overcome the various constraints on their economic activity. The study involved 40 women entrepreneurs in Gharda & iuml;a (southern Algeria). In this oasis region, cultural norms are marked by patriarchy and strongly restrict women's access to public spaces. The women entrepreneurs surveyed have developed strategies to deal with economic constraints (such as the saturation of the local market with traditional products) by enhancing the value and price of their products and by creating products and services to meet new consumer demands. They have also designed strategies to overcome socio-cultural constraints, in particular by using digital tools, by involving the men from their family households in their entrepreneurial project, and by being present in new public spaces where the presence of women is accepted. These different strategies have enabled women to develop their activities by adapting to rather than by clashing with local norms. However, the activities developed generally remain in the informal sector. The growth of this entrepreneurship is therefore taking place far from the public support systems, which primarily benefit formally established businesses.