Women, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability: The Case of Saudi Arabia

We ran two focus groups with well-educated Saudi women; there were ten participants established businesses and nascent entrepreneurs. Despite the Vision 2030’s centring of environmental sustainability as a key tenet country’s development, women entrepreneurs we studied (both nascent) not well informed on topic. Further, in our sample under pressure from neither their customers nor own religious, financial, or moral imperatives to engage sustainable practices seek out implement business any form. Our respondents believed that government should incentivise undertake saw no financial benefits initiating these themselves. Contrary previous literature, found did perceive an entrepreneurial opportunity and, many cases, believe be intrinsic element for-profit business. research findings imply prevalent top-down policy approach used by promote needs complimented more inclusive multi-actor would involve local national stakeholders. Moreover, educational policies need integration topics within larger system awareness social change.