A look into the impact of Syrian refugees on women-owned micro and small enterprises in Jordan, Lubna Thaher and Dr. Radieah Nor
Lubna Mohammad Naief Thaher
Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS)
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang
Malaysia
Email: Lubnathaher@yahoo.com.
Dr. Radieah Mohd Nor
Senior Lecturer, Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS)
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang
Malaysia
Email: radieah@usm.my
DOI: 10.47556/J.WJEMSD.18.5.2022.4
Jordan has experienced an unprecedented refugee crisis since 2011, adding to the country' s burdens due to the scarcity of resources and previous waves of asylum seekers. Although micro and small enterprises (MSEs) aim to empower women, specifically regarding achieving the UN' s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, there is very little research focus on this
type of enterprise and how refugees impact MSEs' sustainability.
Purpose: This paper investigates how Syrian refugees impact Jordanian women-owned MSEs' sustainability.
Design: The study used case studies and qualitative interviews with 24 female entrepreneurs whose enterprises did or did
not achieve sustainability; five experts were also interviewed.
Findings: No significant negative impact of refugees on women' s MSEs was found.
Original: This study offers a unique perspective by filling an academic gap in the research on the influence refugees
have on women' s MSEs.
Implications: Further studies are recommended to build a solid database of female entrepreneurs.
Keywords: Syrian refugees, Micro enterprises, Small enterprises, Impact, Jordan.
Citation: Mohd. Thaher, L. and Mohd. Nor, R. (2022): A Look into the Impact of Syrian Refugees on Women-Owned Micro and Small Enterprises in Jordan. World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 617–631.
