By MARK SUMMERS

MANAMA: Bahraini women must embrace the risks associated with setting up their own business and take the plunge, a member of a key organisation said yesterday. They should also be supported in setting up their own businesses, Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research's (CAWTAR) information and communication officer Atidel Mejbri told the GDN yesterday on the second day of a conference to promote increased information technology (IT) usage among businesswomen.

"Women here must do business, they must take a risk. We miss this, in my opinion, the desire to take a risk and to have the patience and lose and win on the way to a goal," said Ms Mejbri.

She was speaking after a study of businesswomen in five Arab countries conducted by CAWTAR was released this week, with its authors concluding there is a need to "motivate more Bahraini women to take up entrepreneurial activities and recognise their potential".

Of particular note, the report also concluded that "women may also be hesitant to approach financial institutions or deal with male bankers and potentially negative attitudes towards female clients".

This mindset which could account for the fact that 77 per cent of Bahraini businesswomen do not finance their businesses with bank loans or credit from financial institutions, says the report.

"For Bahraini women there is a limit of access to financial support - but we don't know if they are not aware of sources of official support. or they have sufficient finances for their projects. We just know that they have no access to financial support," said Ms Mejbri.

"Compared to other countries, there is not a large number of women receiving financial support from banks - but it is not clear why."

The study, conducted in tandem with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), interviewed a broad selection of businesswomen in Bahrain, the UAE, Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia.

In Bahrain, the survey was conducted by quizzing women who were listed on the database of the Bahrain Businesswomen's Society and it reached a number of interesting conclusions.

"One of the main objectives of this study is to empower businesswomen's organisations to be aware of the problems of businesswomen and I think in this field the objective was realised," said Ms Mejbri.

She said the survey was designed to establish the needs of businesswomen in the economies of the countries surveyed and its conclusions would be addressed to policymakers, financial institutions and women's organisations.

Over a third (34.5pc) of those Bahraini businesswomen who took part in the survey plan to expand into other markets within the next two years.

"Bahraini women and Emirati women are more open to the idea of expanding their business," said Ms Mejbri.

The two-day conference on Information Technology in Enhancing the Performance and Productivity of Micro, Small and Medium Businesses concluded yesterday.

It was underlined by the report's findings that only 25pc of Bahraini businesswomen use the Internet to research new business opportunities and less than a third of women business owners (32.3pc) have a company website.

While over 60pc of businesses in Bahrain run by women are solely owned, Ms Mejbri said efforts should be made to reduce the tendency of female entrepreneurs to rely on a family member when looking for a business partner.

"If they have a partner usually it is their husband, or their brother and it is a family business. We have recommended that studies be done as to why women have no partners outside the family. Are they afraid?" she said.

The report notes that "many women are struggling to reach higher socio-economic and political levels" in Bahrain.

But it also reveals that only two per cent of women surveyed believe that being a woman is a negative influence on their business.

"In the Arab world, I am optimistic the gap between women and men will close. We have to empower women in the economic sphere to grab these opportunities and to move on," said Ms Mejbri.