Gender Barriers Experienced by Women Entrepreneurs in Cyprus

In a dynamic and complex world characterized by increased advocacy for inclusivity and equity, women’s entrepreneurship is of significant importance because it supports job creation, promotes competitiveness, and underpins economic modernization. However, the prevalence of a gender gap in entrepreneurship is a global problem, particularly in Europe, despite the implemented approaches to mitigate inequality. Women entrepreneurship’s full potential is yet to be achieved, which means that there are numerous growth opportunities. Hence, this chapter initiates the conversation on gender parity by providing an overview of the implemented policies, including a discussion on the gender barriers experienced by women entrepreneurs in Cyprus and offering possible solutions to mitigate the issues. It is indispensable to acknowledge that in Cyprus, inclusive entrepreneurship policies are relatively new, a factor that can be attributed to the prevailing gender barriers experienced by women entrepreneurs in the nation. Factors such as the patriarchal culture, gender role expectations, and political challenges were identified as core barriers women entrepreneurs experienced in Cyprus, creating a gender gap. Based on the identified gaps, the proposed solutions are recommendations for updating existing policies, fostering women’s psychological empowerment, promoting financial inclusion, offering training/education, and improving the overall entrepreneurial environment in the nation. Accordingly, the discussed barriers and proposed solutions can be used by policymakers and non-governmental organizations to improve the Cypriot entrepreneurial ecosystem. The motivation for focusing on the topic was the economic, societal, and environmental value associated with women’s entrepreneurship. Overall, research on the gender barriers experienced by Cypriot women entrepreneurs is limited; hence, recommendations for future researchers are provided.