Analyzing the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Women Entrepreneurs: A Case Study of Rural Areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Access of women to enterprising opportunities and resources can have very different outcomes than men. The purpose of this research was to examine the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Peshawar, Pakistan, which includes policy, finance, institutions, human capital, culture, and markets, through a gender lens, assess women entrepreneurs' access to it, and assess the effectiveness of its components. The research uses a qualitative research approach. Data were gathered through desk research, thirty in-depth, semi-structured interviews, and one focus group discussion with ten rural women entrepreneurs of rural areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. NVivo software was used to analyze the data, and content analysis was used to analyze that data. According to the findings, women entrepreneurs have limited access to entrepreneurship ecosystem. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of information among women entrepreneurs about available financial resources, a lack of knowledge about laws and policies, a lack of parental, institutional, and societal support for women in attempting to access the entrepreneurial ecosystem, a lack of quality business training, and a lack of physical and technological infrastructure in rural areas. Furthermore, there is a presence of stereotypical attitudes toward women entrepreneurs, and limited access to entrepreneurship. The existing entrepreneurial ecosystem in Peshawar could be enhanced through coordinated multi-stakeholder initiatives, interventions designed to increase awareness about resources, promoting an understanding of laws and regulations, making institutions more effective in providing services, establishing public-private partnerships, and providing women entrepreneurs with easy access to market and financial resources. While there have been studies on the problems faced by women entrepreneurs in Pakistan, as well as their motivation and objectives, there has been no research on their access to the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a whole.