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Introduction
Research on women-owned businesses has gained momentum in recent years with many scholars addressing various areas of knowledge that have helped facilitate a better understanding of the multiple dimensions of women's entrepreneurship. According to [39] Hisrich and Lerner (1997), women entrepreneurs can play a significant role in fostering economic and social development, particularly in the small business sector. Women entrepreneurs have been identified as contributors to social improvement, promoting economic renewal and development, technological innovation and job creation ([14] Bosmal et al. , 2008; [43] Lerner et al. , 1997; [54] OECD, 1997). As such, the issue of women's entrepreneurship has received growing attention among researchers and policy makers in the developing and developed countries alike. As a result, there has been extensive research into women's business ownership. While some studies have focused on women's business activities in developing and transition economies in other parts of the world (i.e. Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa) ([23] Christopher, 1998; [34] Goldenberg and Kline, 1999; [64] Smith-Hunter, 2003; [65] Smith-Hunter and Englhardt, 2004), there are comparatively few studies on the behaviour and performance of women-owned and operated businesses in the Arab world ([25] Dechant and Lamky, 2005; [29] El-Ghannam, 2002; [46] Maysami and Goby, 1999; [1] Abdalla, 1996). According to Ahmad, female entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and especially the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC) countries (AGCC consisting of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates - UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait) is an under-researched area with tremendous economic potential and one that requires special attention. Not much is known about the role, characteristics, personal profile, behaviour, business activity, risks involved and performance of women entrepreneurs in Arab society, in general. This is particularly the case in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) because of barriers related to gender and socio-cultural norms, even though women are involved in entrepreneurship and their participation has been claimed to be an important contributor to the economic growth of the nation. The extent to which existing theories are useful in the context of Arab countries is of increasing importance as women in these countries are assuming a greater role in enterprise creation, technological innovation and social and economic development as a result of radical...