Women and the Culture of Entrepreneurship in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan

Abstract

This chapter examines the cultural values associated with entrepreneurship, and its gendered dimension, in Soviet and post-Soviet Azer-baijan. It discusses some of the ways in which Azeri women are engaged in entrepreneurial activities, and how this relates to their involvement in the alternative economy in the Soviet era. It shows that, just as Azeri women’s closer association with domestic life afforded them greater cover for the observance of religious practice, a high degree of domesticity also facilitated their involvement in the underground supply of consumer goods and informal trading. The strong association between women and domesticity, reinforced by the Islamic prescription on the seclusion of women, had prevailed in the pre-Soviet culture of Azerbaijan. The underdeveloped state of the insurance industry in Azerbaijan and difficulties in enforcing protective legislation are in fact very significant in hindering the development of small and medium sized businesses.

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