Gender, Culture, and Social Media: Exploring Women’s Adoption of Social Media Entrepreneurship in Qatari Society
Purpose: Social media has become a significant catalyst for entrepreneurship in the Middle East, particularly for women. Considering the limited research conducted to understand the factors influencing social media adoption in conservative societies such as Qatar, this study aims to examine the fact...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Administrative Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/3/89 |
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| author | Hamda Al-Boinin Savanid Vatanasakdakul Wajdi Zaghouani |
| author_facet | Hamda Al-Boinin Savanid Vatanasakdakul Wajdi Zaghouani |
| author_sort | Hamda Al-Boinin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose: Social media has become a significant catalyst for entrepreneurship in the Middle East, particularly for women. Considering the limited research conducted to understand the factors influencing social media adoption in conservative societies such as Qatar, this study aims to examine the factors affecting the adoption of social media among women entrepreneurs in Qatar and extend the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by including sociocultural variables. Method: The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey approach comprising 290 women entrepreneurs through an online survey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), particularly Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis, was used to investigate relationships between constructs. Findings: The results highlight two dimensions that significantly affect women’s adoption of social media for entrepreneurship in Qatar: technological (perceived usefulness) and sociocultural (family influence, kinship roles, and reputation preservation). Through these factors, we found that women in Qatar are especially drawn to social media entrepreneurship because it enhances their business operations while being in line with their cultural and social values. Conclusion and Originality: This research is one of the pioneering studies on women entrepreneurship and social media in Qatar. It extends the technology adoption theory with novel sociocultural constructs specific for women entrepreneurship in the Middle East. This research offers insights that are significant for advancing the field of digital entrepreneurship and fostering women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment within Qatar and the other communities of the Middle East. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d7a965e295f405cbfea1317cd12e142 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3387 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Administrative Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d7a965e295f405cbfea1317cd12e1422025-08-20T02:41:54ZengMDPI AGAdministrative Sciences2076-33872025-03-011538910.3390/admsci15030089Gender, Culture, and Social Media: Exploring Women’s Adoption of Social Media Entrepreneurship in Qatari SocietyHamda Al-Boinin0Savanid Vatanasakdakul1Wajdi Zaghouani2College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamda bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha 5825, QatarInformation System Program, Carnegie Mellon University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 24866, QatarCommunication Program, Northwestern University in Qatar, Doha P.O. Box 34102, QatarPurpose: Social media has become a significant catalyst for entrepreneurship in the Middle East, particularly for women. Considering the limited research conducted to understand the factors influencing social media adoption in conservative societies such as Qatar, this study aims to examine the factors affecting the adoption of social media among women entrepreneurs in Qatar and extend the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by including sociocultural variables. Method: The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey approach comprising 290 women entrepreneurs through an online survey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), particularly Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis, was used to investigate relationships between constructs. Findings: The results highlight two dimensions that significantly affect women’s adoption of social media for entrepreneurship in Qatar: technological (perceived usefulness) and sociocultural (family influence, kinship roles, and reputation preservation). Through these factors, we found that women in Qatar are especially drawn to social media entrepreneurship because it enhances their business operations while being in line with their cultural and social values. Conclusion and Originality: This research is one of the pioneering studies on women entrepreneurship and social media in Qatar. It extends the technology adoption theory with novel sociocultural constructs specific for women entrepreneurship in the Middle East. This research offers insights that are significant for advancing the field of digital entrepreneurship and fostering women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment within Qatar and the other communities of the Middle East.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/3/89women entrepreneurshipsocial mediaTAMQatarMiddle East |
| spellingShingle | Hamda Al-Boinin Savanid Vatanasakdakul Wajdi Zaghouani Gender, Culture, and Social Media: Exploring Women’s Adoption of Social Media Entrepreneurship in Qatari Society Administrative Sciences women entrepreneurship social media TAM Qatar Middle East |
| title | Gender, Culture, and Social Media: Exploring Women’s Adoption of Social Media Entrepreneurship in Qatari Society |
| title_full | Gender, Culture, and Social Media: Exploring Women’s Adoption of Social Media Entrepreneurship in Qatari Society |
| title_fullStr | Gender, Culture, and Social Media: Exploring Women’s Adoption of Social Media Entrepreneurship in Qatari Society |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender, Culture, and Social Media: Exploring Women’s Adoption of Social Media Entrepreneurship in Qatari Society |
| title_short | Gender, Culture, and Social Media: Exploring Women’s Adoption of Social Media Entrepreneurship in Qatari Society |
| title_sort | gender culture and social media exploring women s adoption of social media entrepreneurship in qatari society |
| topic | women entrepreneurship social media TAM Qatar Middle East |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/3/89 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hamdaalboinin gendercultureandsocialmediaexploringwomensadoptionofsocialmediaentrepreneurshipinqatarisociety AT savanidvatanasakdakul gendercultureandsocialmediaexploringwomensadoptionofsocialmediaentrepreneurshipinqatarisociety AT wajdizaghouani gendercultureandsocialmediaexploringwomensadoptionofsocialmediaentrepreneurshipinqatarisociety |