Purpose This paper examines the broad concept of “motherhood” (a gender-role identity) as a metaphor within the 5M framework, in the context of Lebanon. It considers how “motherhood” drives Arab women entrepreneurs to impact their micro-, meso- and macro-environments (taking an inside-out perspective). In contrast, Western scholarship has focused on gender role as a factor of support or hindrance to women’s entrepreneurship (taking an outside-in perspective). Design/methodology/approach In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 women, all Lebanese technology entrepreneurs, shortly before the Lebanon uprising of 2019. Their narratives were analyzed using “gender as a lens” combined with non-Western feminist approaches such as Arab and Islamic feminism. Findings Arab women’s entrepreneurship has a ripple effect on their environment. Their impact transcends family and children to benefit both business stakeholders and society as a whole. Successful women entrepreneurs become role models, giving them an additional social responsibility. They see “motherhood” as a strength instead of an obligation or limitation. Despite technology being a male-dominated field, these women empowered themselves through their practice and exhibited a considerate, moral attitude in their work. Originality/value First, this study is conducted in an Arab setting with women tech-entrepreneurs. Second, we extend the 5M framework to demonstrate how “motherhood” shapes entrepreneurs’ ventures. Third, applying indigenous Arab and Islamic feminist critiques extends the “motherhood” component of the 5M framework by emphasizing cultural identity and community ties where gender-role identity is demonstrated to be a strength and motivation rather than an obstacle.
Itani et al. (2025) studied this question.