Abstract

This study aimed to identify the role of women in managing family firms in the West Bank as this study was applied to a group of family firms in the West Bank. The current study relied on the descriptive analytical approach by highlighting and exploring the extent to which family firms enable women belonging to the family to work, participate in the management of family firms and make decisions and their chances of occupying senior management positions. The primary data was collected by designing a questionnaire for this purpose. The data was collected by distributing (100) questionnaires to family firms in governorates in the West Bank. The study results indicated that there is a small percentage of women's representation in senior management positions as the study shows that women have not reached their goal of obtaining equal opportunities with men in holding senior management positions, which enable them to participate in decision-making actively. The study also concluded that family businesses still believe that women should work more on their capabilities to increase their chances of participating in management and decision-making, claiming that the family provides the support and motivation necessary for women to participate in management. Finally, the study concluded that there is progress, but limited, concerning the integration of women into the chain of succession and the lack of fair equality between men and women in the management of family businesses. The study recommended the necessity of overcoming the obstacles that could be imposed by the family or society to impede the participation of women in the management of family businesses, and their role in decision-making by comparing their important family role and the type of work, or by placing obstacles imposed by society under the name of customs and traditions. The study also recommended the need to increase family awareness of the importance of motivating women to work on possessing the personal qualities necessary to play this role and giving them the equal opportunity of men to take over the management and decision-making of the family business.