Exploring the normative context for women’s entrepreneurship in Pakistan: a critical analysis

Abstract

Purpose The role of women in Pakistani society – largely embedded in its patriarchal socio–cultural environment – has important implications for women’s entrepreneurial activity in the country. This study aims to investigate and analyse the influence of informal institutional factors on women’s entry into entrepreneurship in Pakistan, and determine how women exercise agency to cope with the constraints posed by such factors. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach is used to explore the normative context and lived experiences of women entrepreneurs in relation to the influence of socio–cultural beliefs and attitudes on their entrepreneurial career choices. Findings The findings suggest that women’s entrepreneurial career choices both revolve around and are shaped by a complex interplay of socio–cultural influences. Pakistani women entrepreneurs exercise their agency as a means of negotiating gender roles within both household and society, using religious descriptions as a means to justify their entrepreneurial activity. Research limitations/implications While every effort has been made to ensure that the data were objectively interpreted, and the derived findings were robustly analysed, the research team acknowledges the many difficulties associated with adopting a social constructionist approach. As articulated by Fletcher (2011), the key issues of contextual objectivity (i.e. where the researcher judges what is important), reflexive turn (the need for the researcher to constantly reconnect with the subject) and potential multiplicity of contexts (the various contextual and potentially conflicting influences on the researcher) presents ongoing challenges for researchers in this field. Originality/value This study offers valuable insights into the impact of the informal (socio–cultural) institutional factors on women’s entrepreneurial activity, opening up new avenues for further research. The study also contributes to the women’s entrepreneurship literature from the perspective of an Islamic developing country.

Factors Affecting Women Entrepreneurs’ Success; A study of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Emerging Market of Pakistan

“…Therefore, our results favor with past studies (Poggesi, Mari, and De Vita, 2016;Arasti et al 2012) who demonstrate that social and cultural factors have a positive and signi cant impact on women entrepreneurs' success. While, Roomi, Rehman and Henry, (2018) suggest that in an Islamic country, women entrepreneurs face a lot of cultural con icts related his business because in Islamic cultural women are following their roles and regulation. Therefore, we posit in the underline study that these factors signi cantly affect the women entrepreneur's success.…”

“…In Islamic countries, social and cultural norms on one hand and family issues, on the other hand, are the most serious issues for women entrepreneurs (Poggesi, Mari, and De Vita, 2016). Hence, Roomi, Rehman, and Henry, (2018) suggest that women's entrepreneurial career choices both revolve around and are shaped by a complex interplay of socio-cultural factors. In addition, socio-cultural factors determine the level of entrepreneurial activity in a speci c time and place (Veciana, 1999).…”

“…Due to the complex interaction of socio-cultural factors, religious and family structures (Roomi, 2013). The role of women in Pakistan's traditional and masculine society has been the subject of despite; Women face discrimination and gender inequalities owing to gender-biased power relations based on inequality and prejudice (Roomi, Rehman, and Henry, 2018). This research is an attempt to discover factors in uencing the performance of women entrepreneurs in this context.…”

Women's entrepreneurship and social capital: Exploring the link between the domestic sphere and the marketplace in Pakistan

“…In KP, one of Pakistan's five provinces, women's entrepreneurship is on the rise, which is evident in the establishment of women's chambers of commerce, women‐only trade exhibitions, and women's training centers. However, these measures do not alleviate the challenges faced by small and micro‐entrepreneurial ventures due to outdated women's empowerment policies (Muhammad & Qazi, 2017), the inability to facilitate women's access to the marketplace (the biggest constraint on women's economic participation), and, above all, insufficient information on women's economic activities due to unreliable and inaccurate statistical data (Kamal & Woodbury, 2016; Roomi, 2013; Roomi, Rehman, & Henry, 2018). The focus of this study is the Malakand District of KP (Map 1).…”

The Configurations of Informal Institutions to Promote Men’s and Women’s Entrepreneurial Activities

“…Previous studies have investigated the role of either culture-cognitive or social-normative institutional antecedents in determining men’s and women’s rates of entrepreneurial activities ( De Clercq et al, 2010 ; Koellinger et al, 2013 ; de la Cruz Sánchez-Escobedo et al, 2014 ; Gupta and Mirchandani, 2018 ; Roomi et al, 2018 ; Santos et al, 2018a ). The findings of these studies are inconsistent to promote the rate of men’s and women’s entrepreneurial activities.…”