Sociocultural Factors, Religion and Cognition Development: An Integrated View of Psychological Empowerment of Female Entrepreneurs

Abstract

This research study aims to explore the role of psychological empowerment of female entrepreneurs in the sociocultural context of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Psychological empowerment and well-being are considered under-researched from the perspective of a female entrepreneur. The study employs the qualitative methodology to generate an understanding of the phenomenon of female entrepreneurship leading to the psychological empowerment of women in Pakistan. Data were collected from Pakistani female entrepreneurs using in-depth interviews. A grounded theory framework was employed to generate the emergent findings. Emerging themes revolve around personality characteristics, gender development, sociocultural support and religion shaping the psychological empowerment of Pakistan female entrepreneurs. The females were also reported to have appreciable competence in managing their businesses. In addition, the findings showed that the females had a greater level of autonomy, independence and freedom to run their businesses. The findings present preliminary evidence that females engaged in entrepreneurial activities feel psychologically empowered. These outcomes provided valuable insight into using entrepreneurship as a strategic tool to empower Pakistani female entrepreneurs. This should contribute to a critical and more distinct understanding of the psychological empowerment of female entrepreneurship in developing economies.