The Regional Impact of the Glass Ceiling on Women's Entrepreneurship Indicators in Selected Countries

Kian Poor, Saeed; Mokhtari Nabi, Ebrahim

The Regional Impact of the Glass Ceiling on Women's Entrepreneurship Indicators in Selected Countries

Document Type : Origional Article

Authors

Saeed Kian Poor ¹ ^¶

Ebrahim Mokhtari Nabi ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

² Instructor, Department of Information Science and Knowledge Studies, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: his study aims to examine the regional impact of the glass ceiling phenomenon on women's entrepreneurship indicators in selected countries (Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and Turkey) over the period from 2008 to 2024. The glass ceiling, as an invisible barrier preventing women from accessing senior managerial positions and entrepreneurial opportunities, is the focus of this research. The objective is to analyze the dynamics of these constraints and their effects on key indicators such as parliamentary participation, wages, economic participation, gender equality index, managerial positions, and board membership.
Methodology: This study employs the Quantile Vector Autoregressive (QVAR) panel method based on the Diebold and Yilmaz (2012) framework. Annual data for the mentioned variables were collected and standardized by creating a composite index. The analysis was conducted across the 25th, 50th, and 75th quantiles to examine connectivity and volatility spillovers among variables under various conditions (stable, moderate, and volatile). A rolling window approach was used for temporal dynamics analysis, and unit root tests ensured data stationarity.
Findings and Results: The results indicate that the glass ceiling has a significant negative impact on women's entrepreneurship during crises (e.g., the 2014–2016 oil price collapse) and prosperity periods (e.g., 2018 women's rights reforms). Parliamentary participation emerges as the primary receiver of volatility, particularly vulnerable in crises, while board membership and the gender equality index serve as transmitters and stabilizers. The U-shaped pattern of the Total Connectedness Index (TCI) confirms reduced connectivity in intermediate conditions and increased connectivity during crises and prosperity. Lebanon and Iran showed greater vulnerability, while Qatar and Oman exhibited relative resilience. To mitigate glass ceiling effects, recommendations include implementing women's entrepreneurship mentoring programs in Iran and Lebanon, increasing women's parliamentary quotas in Lebanon and Egypt, developing women-supportive organizational cultures in companies in Iran and Turkey, conducting public education to reduce gender stereotypes in Iran and Jordan, and strengthening local databases for more accurate data collection.

Keywords

Glass Ceiling

Entrepreneurship

Women

Entrepreneurship Indicators

Iran

Developing Countries

Subjects

Sustainable Regional Development

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