Women in Saudi Arabia increasingly choose to quit their jobs and stay home. Not primarily to be housewives but to work as entrepreneurs.
“I love being at home as a homemaker and an entrepreneur,” said Khadija Madni, a catering business owner who works from home. Madni previously worked in a private school as a preschool teacher. The daily obligations at work were keeping her from her commitments toward her children at home. “I would be very tired, and I was not able to give them the attention they deserved,” said Madni.
Quitting her job, and deciding to stay home to do something she passionately enjoyed, increased the quality of her life. “I take orders from my clients, and I ensure that they are satisfied. I love cooking and with this business from home, I have enough time for my own children.” Madni does point out that sometimes, large orders from clients are stressful, as she strives to maintain high quality results.
The main attraction for many women is not the idea of working from home, but that they are working for themselves. With the advancement of technology, many people opt for home-based businesses.
“I can communicate with my clients easily and on a regular basis,” said Layal Zoak, a 28-year-old freelance marketing consultant. “The numerous online resources have made it much easier for people to start their own businesses, and create their ideal working environment within the comfort of their homes.”
Home-based businesses provide people with control over their own lives. The timings and the schedules are organized as per own will and ease. “Home based businesses are not easy to operate,” said 31-year-old Farva Ghani, owner of a home-based playschool. “It requires serious dedication and discipline to achieve success.” Many “homepreneurs” are looking to balance the various obligations they have in their lives – to be home with young children, to maintain and progress their careers, to make use of their education, and to add to the family’s financial means.
Communication software such as Skype diminishes the geographic constraints of working from home. Homepreneurs can easily video chat with their clients and carry out professional meetings using solely a computer and a webcam.
“Working from home is wonderful. However, you are always unsure of what income to expect by the end of the month,” said Rawan Bashir, a 26-year-old freelance writer. To take full advantage of working from home, one must have the discipline to be organized and manage time wisely, she said. “Sometimes, I can write as many as 10 articles a month. Other times, I am only able to submit two to three articles.” Bashir says she needs to learn to maintain a system where she is effective in submitting a reasonable number of articles a month, which would guarantee a sober income at the end of each month. “The irregularity of the outcome is uncomfortable.”