ISSN: 2320-5407 Int. J. Adv. Res.

9(07), 43-50

Journal Homepage: -www.journalijar.com

Article DOI:10.21474/IJAR01/13097
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/13097

RESEARCH ARTICLE
WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURIAL BARRIERS DURING BUSINESS START-UP STAGE: EVIDENCE
FROM WESTERN PROVINCE, SRI LANKA

S.A.C.D.K. Silva, S.M. Mihirangika, K.D.L.G. Minimuthu and W.D.H. De Mel

Department of Management and Finance, Faculty of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities, General Sir
John Kotelawala Defence University.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………....
Manuscript Info Abstract
……………………. ………………………………………………………………
Manuscript History Various barriers are faced by women entrepreneurs specially during the
Received: 05 May 2021 startup stage which inhibit them from getting their hands-on
Final Accepted: 10 June 2021 entrepreneurial initiatives. This study aims to identify the barriers
Published: July 2021 towards female entrepreneurs with concern to business startup stage in
Key words:-
the Western Province of Sri Lanka. This study was conducted using
Women Entrepreneurs, Start-up Stage, qualitative research method. The primary data was gathered from eight
Barriers women entrepreneurs in Western Province, using semi-structured in-
depth interviews. The sample for the study was selected based on non-
probability convenience sampling technique. Data gathered from the
interviews were analyzed using the thematic analysis. Findings of this
study revealed that the family background, education level, access to
financialcapital and personal attitudes of female entrepreneurstend to
be the main barriers when initiating business ideas. As for the
limitations of the study, the sample was limited to the Western
Province and all interviewees were female entrepreneurs who were
running their own businesses for at least two years since initiation.

Copy Right, IJAR, 2021, All rights reserved.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………....
Introduction:-
An entrepreneur is someone who puts together all resources needed; money, people, strategy and the risk bearing ability, to
transform an invention into a viable business. Entrepreneurship is a process through which an individual creates opportunities
for innovation leading to additional and novel contributions to the society (Stam & Spigel, 2017). With the current emergence
of a stronger female contribution to the economy across the globe, women entrepreneurship has become a much-discussed
topic worldwide. Despite the more gender equal society being built up all over the world, the number of volunteered women
entrepreneurs seem to be very low. A number of researches have been conducted on this matter in developed and developing
countries. When considering the current status of Sri Lanka with reference to women entrepreneurship, it is clear that a large
number of females don’t engage in their own businesses. In Asian developing countries, as in any other part of the world, the
entrepreneurial process is considered equal irrespective of gender. However, in practice, there are barriers to the growth and
survival of women-owned businesses of varying dimensions and magnitudes (Wijeyeratnam & Perera, 2013). Women
entrepreneurs can be positioned to play a vital role in promoting sustainable business practices. However, more attention
should be given in developing further capacity in women to become more productive and innovative (Ambepitiya, 2016).
Entrepreneurial intention of undergraduates in Sri Lanka are influenced by various determinants such as personal attitudes,
type of education, gender differences and family background. When taking gender into consideration, there is high possibility
of males to become entrepreneurs than females (Kumari et al., 2019).

Corresponding Author:-WDH De Mel ([email protected])

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Address:-Department of Management and Finance, Faculty of Management, Social Sciences and
Humanities, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University.
ISSN: 2320-5407 Int. J. Adv. Res. 9(07), 43-50

In Sri Lankan context, the economy is witnessing upward trends in women entering the workforce or engaging in various
entrepreneurial initiatives. Majority of women tend to prioritize household responsibilities resulting in lower level
participation in workforce after marriage and child birth. However, in breaking such glass ceiling certain women step into
entrepreneurship. It is estimated that 90% of Sri Lankan businesses are sole proprietorship businesses out of which around
25% are run and managed by women entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, nation is far behind in comparison to neighbor Asian
countries in terms of women participation in the workforce (Sri Lanka Export Development Board, 2019).

According to the research studies conducted in other developing countries in the Asian context, some main barriers that
obstruct the entrepreneurial paths of women were identified. In Indonesia, general financing was the major constraint faced
by females at their start-up stage of their businesses (Mayasami, 1999). Difficulties in obtaining credit from institution was
due to their limited access to formal education, ownership of property and social mobility (Barwa, 2003). Other factors such
as unequal access to markets, poor business experience, limited knowledge of marketing strategies, weak business
associations and poor access to education and training programs are also some main drawbacks. Some other problems faced
by woman entrepreneurs in Nepal and Sri Lanka have been noted as access to land and property, inability to take risks, lack
of access to modern technology and personal security along with high risk of sexual harassments from public (Anna et al.,
1999). Therefore, this study aims to fill the gap by identifying the barriers faced by women entrepreneurs during business
start-up stage with evidence from Western Province of Sri Lanka. The research objectives are to identify how family
background, financial resources, educational level and personal attitudes will affect on the startup enterprises managed by
women in early business stage.

Literature Review:-
Introduction
A number of studies have been conducted to identify the barriers faced by women entrepreneurs all around the world. Studies
have also been conducted with reference to Sri Lankan women entrepreneurs (Fernando & Cohen, 2011).However, there are
very limited studies carried out to identify the barriers faced by women entrepreneurs during their business start-up stage in
Western Province. The literature highlights four main propositions identified along with the related theories. Impact of family
background, effect of the level of education, availability of financial resources, influence of personal attitudes along with the
theories namely, economic theory of entrepreneurship, Thomas Cochran’s theory of cultural values and Human capital
theory.

Theoretical Background
Economic theory of entrepreneurship:
According to Papnek (1971) and Harris (1971), economic incentive was the main factor that influences entrepreneurial
activities. They viewed that economic gains spontaneously developed a willingness among the entrepreneurs to undertake
various entrepreneurial initiatives. Their theory states that the entrepreneurship development and economic growth takes
place when certain economic conditions are favorable.

Thomas Cochran’s theory of cultural values:

According to Thomas Cochran’s theory, the key proportions are cultural values, role expectations and social sanctions. He
proposed that an entrepreneur is not an extraordinary person or any super normal person. They are not abnormal individual’s
deviant from the society, rather they represent the society’s model personality. Their performances are influenced by the
factors of their own attitudes towards the occupation, the role expected by the sanctioning groups and the operational
requirements of the occupation.

Human Capital Theory:

Human capital theory evaluates the impact of experience and education on career outcomes. This theory assumes that
education can serve both as a determinant of decision choice as well as providing benefits to specific ventures. Accordingly,
people or groups with higher levels of knowledge, skills, and other competencies will produce better performance results than
those with lower levels (Ployhart & Moliterno, 2011).

Empirical literature
Family background:
Women living in developing countries aspire to move beyond their traditional family roles. It identifies several problems
including accessing funding for new ventures and innovative activities, a lack of skills-based training and limited family
support. Carr and Sequeira (2007) identified that intension to become an entrepreneur is influenced by exposure to family
business. If there is a business within parents or other family members, their knowledge, expertise and skills can be positively
influenced when establishing a business (Lentz & Laband, 1990). There are two major criteria by which family influences are
affected. One declares that women who have self-employed parents are more towards to engage in entrepreneurial business,
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while the other states that financial support or social support of their families encourage them to start-up a business. Though
positive family support helps the business, the unsupportive family can negatively impact on business outcome (Chang et al.,
2009). The major motivating factor for women entrepreneurship is family support and the family background, particularly in
difficult times and for surviving business failures (Ghouse et al., 2007). That support can be emotional which can be
encouraging the entrepreneur in difficult situations during the business process (Adams et al., 1995). Moreover, support can
be a financial contribution when initiating a business (Anderson et al., 2005).

Financial resources:
In general, women face more discrimination and disadvantages than the male counterparts in accessing the financial capital.
Despite the well acceptance of women entrepreneurship in the society, questioning their credibilityamong financial
institutions still prevails (Kungwansupaphan & Leihaothabam, 2016). One main problem faced by women entrepreneurs is
gaining the business capital, having minimum level of financial assets and access to financial institutions effect on their
business (Naser et al., 2009). The interest of using external financial sources and external equity is in minimum level among
the women (Coleman & Robb, 2009). A positive relationship can be observed between wealth and the intention of females to
become self-employed (Fairlie & Krashinsky, 2012). In this case, there are scenarios when finding capital, some females
prefer the assistance of formal financing methods such as bank loans and venture capitalists rather than getting help through
informal sources like the close family and friends, because in long term, external financing methods hold a positive effect on
the entrepreneurial outcomes (Reynolds, 2011).

Level of education:
There is a high probability of being self-employed if a person has fulfilled their higher education. Studies have also shown
that education helps to identify business opportunities to equip the essential skills to start the business (Jo & Lee, 1996).
Furthermore, Bliemel (2014) stated that the knowledge of the existing entrepreneurs is taken by the new entrepreneurs when
initiating a business. Higher education imposes a greater possibility in the involvement of business start-up (Arenius &
Minniti, 2005). Global perspective for female entrepreneurship is the women who want to build their own businesses or
entrepreneurial firms. They face many obstacles due to the lack of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills that have never been
encouraged (Fielden et al., 2003). Studies also show that entrepreneurs who bear maximum level of human capital succeed in
their businesses by utilizing their knowledge and skills (Davidsson & Honig, 2013).

Personal attitudes:
Personal attitudes refer to the individual’s perceptions of the personal desirability of performing entrepreneurial behavior
(Zhao et al., 2005). In molding one’s intentions to compromise the entrepreneurial abilities, their personal attitudes and
apparent behaviors are affected indirectly by social norms (Sylvia, 2015). Personal attitudes can be influenced by external
parties or can be self-intention. For women it can be barriers to enter into the entrepreneurial world. Many authors have found
some common motivating factors among both males and females to initiate a business of their own. They are commonly
addressed as the need for individualism and independence, a need for achievement, necessity of job satisfaction, and to attain
a higher level of job flexibility (Valla, 2001). The intention of starting a new business of an entrepreneur is to create a new
product or a service. Entrepreneurs are known to be risk-takers because they have a higher tendency of taking risks than
normal individuals (Herbert & Link, 1989). During the business startup decision making stage, women’s attitude towards risk
can be crucially affected (Seibert et al., 2005). To possess the risk-taking ability, they should have the confidence and
motivation influencing on the decision made when starting a business (Minniti & Nardone, 2007).

Propositions
P1: Impact of family background is a barrier to women entrepreneurship at business startup stage
P2: Effects of the level of education is a barrier to women entrepreneurship during business startup stage
P3: Limited financial resources is a barrier to women entrepreneurship during business startup stage
P4: Influence of personnel attitudes is a barrier to women entrepreneurship at business startup stage

Population andthe Sample

The population of this research is all the women entrepreneurs who have started a venture in the Western Province, as the
researcher aims to identify the barriers to women entrepreneurship in startup.

For this research, one of the non-probability sampling methods have been used in terms of convenience sampling method.
The study was conducted using semi structured in-depth interviews. In a qualitative study, It’s not practical to anticipate the
sample size at the beginning. So the interviews need to continue the process of analysis and discovery until reaching the point
of saturation (Modarresi et al., 2003).

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Data Collection Method: -

This study collected primary data using eight semi structured in-depth interviews. Data was gathered from women
entrepreneurs in Western Province who agreed to face the interview for this research. They were asked to describe the
barriers and experiences they suffered from when initiating their venture. The interview guide consisted of five sections
which included 6 demographic questions and 22 open ended questions. In-depth interviews were conducted for 30 to 45
minutes. Interviews were recorded to enhance the quality and accuracy of data with the consent of the interviewee. The
interior validity of a qualitative research can be uplifted through theoretical saturation of the data (Rao & Perry, 2003). The
life history approach was used where the women entrepreneurs were asked to describe their history about the starting up stage
of the business. Interviewees were allowed to come up with their stories and present their views regarding the subject topic.

Data Analysis
Conducted interviews were audio recorded with the prior consent of the interviewees. Subsequently, the researchers
transcribed the interviews to obtain inductive coding. Accordingly, 15 codes were identified formed into four themes: impact
of family background, effects of educational level, availability of financial resources, influence of personal attitudes.
Thematic map is presented in Figure 1.

Impact of Family Background.

Personal support provided by the parents, spouse and other significant parties are more valuable for entrepreneurs. According
to the respondent 3, 4 and 5, their spouses were supportive, so they were able to manage their family and work lives
efficiently. But respondent 1 mentioned that she didn’t receive any support from her spouse when starting up the business.
“To be honest, my spouse was not very supportive of my business at first. He used to waste everything he earned and started
to spend my earnings as well”.

Figure 1:-Thematic Map.

Source: Author (2019)

Family traditions also play a big role in this regard. When women entrepreneurs have family members engaging in business,
it paves the way for them to start up their own ventures. Respondent 5 stated that, “My parents were both government
employees and no one in the family was engaged in their own business.I was the first to step out of the family
traditions.Therefore, I didn’t have any sort of occupational background inspired by the family”.More than half of the

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respondents mentioned that they were inspired by a role model and it is important to have such a role model specially in the
startup stage. According to Respondent 7, “Whenever I got the chance, I used to go and sit in my aunt’s salon and watch her
work. She was a beautician who was admired by many in the city. Then and there I knew that this was the field for me and
someday, I wanted to become just like my aunt”.

Effects of educational level

Prior work experience is also important for starting up own business ventures. Certain respondents had working experience
and believed that it was important in carrying out their own business. Similarly, education and training also play a major role.
Education can be considered as qualifications, knowledge and awareness. Many of the respondents followed theoretical and
practical courses related to their fields, but some of them have not followed any courses related to the field. Respondent 3
believe that if she had more knowledge about her field. She could have been more stable compared to now. “I started the
business with the guidance of the elderly villagers who knew about the procedures. I guess that if I learned more about the
industry, I could have been more stable from the beginning itself.” Moreover, certain respondents have received training
from the family members to take forward the legacy of the family business.

Availability of financial resources

Coleman and Robb (2009) claimed that women are not interested in using external financial resources. As per most of the
respondents, they were able to accumulate their business capital on their own while they were reluctant to obtain loans at the
start up stage. Only the Respondent 7 reached out for a loan to startup the business. “I first rented out a small shop in the
town, and for that I had to get a loan from the bank”

The economic theory of entrepreneurship state that the development and growth of the entrepreneurship depends on when the
certain economic conditions are favorable. Out of the respondents, most of them were favorable towards the economic
condition. Respondent 4 said, “One main reason to start up the business those days was because I was getting ready for my
wedding and I needed to save up money.” Fifty percent of the respondent initiated their businesses influence by income
matters. While the rest wanted to create a carrier path following their passion in the business field.

Influence of personal attitudes

All the respondents were capable of running their own business and were confident in themselves and had a good knowledge
about the field. Respondent 4 said, “I knew that the demand for a beauty salon would never go away with the emerging
trends. I was passionate about this field and knew I was capable of running my own salon.” Rather than the normal
individuals, entrepreneurs have greater risk-taking ability (Herbert & Link, 1989). According to the Respondent 1, “Being a
woman, starting a business on my own without my husband’s support was quite risky, but I strongly believe that my risk-
taking ability supported me to expand the business to this extent.” Respondents 3 & 4 stated that they always wanted to step
out of the typical system. Respondent 4 said that she is the first to go beyond their family tradition. “My parents were both
employed in the public sector. I was the first to step out of the family traditions”

The personal appeal of performing entrepreneurial behavior refers to individual personal attitudes (Zhao et al., 2005).
Attitude is an action which a person has good or bad valuation of behavior. Almost all the respondents had positive attitudes
towards their businesses. Respondent 5 strongly believed that she being her own boss is much more effective. “I enjoy
making the mats throughout the entire process and I strongly believe that working for myself with what I love the most is far
better than working for someone else.” Respondent 7 stated that although she was discouraged by the external parties, she
was capable to stand strong against those criticisms because of her positive attitudes. “I know that nothing could ever make
me stop doing what I love to do. There were people telling me off and discouraging me, but with the help of my family and the
guidance of my aunt, I outshined their negative comments and quite happy with what I have become.”

Discussion: -
The psychological support rendered from the family such as encouragement, attention, understanding ability, and positive
regard on business related problems including other emotional support decreases the frustration of the business (Powell &
Eddleston, 2013). According to this study, it has been found that the support from the family, both internal and external pose
a positive impact on females entering into the entrepreneurial world. Family and household responsibilities vested on a
woman may emerge as hindrance to start a business (Brush et al., 2009). The spouse can act as a resource or a resource drain
for the women entrepreneurs (Shaver & Scott, 1991). In this study, there were some instances where the respondents
mentioned that spouse acted as a barrier to initiate the business, there were also a few instances that husbands were
sufficiently supportive for the female entrepreneurs to carry out their business well.

If there is a business within parents or other family members, their knowledge, expertise and skills can be positively
influenced when establishing a business (Lentz & Laband, 1990). As per the study, it was clear that most of the entrepreneurs
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follow the footsteps of the parents and continue the existing business or start up a new venture in a related field. It can be
stated that, if parents are self-employed they become a role model or sign for entrepreneurship and social support or financial
resources from the family have a straight attitude towards an entrepreneurial intension. Many of the findings show that the
females were motivated to join a specific industry as an entrepreneur mainly due to the effect of a role model in their life.
This can be a parent, close relative or even an instructor/ teacher. Therefore, it can be deduced that the family background can
act as a barrier or a supporter for female entrepreneurs when initiating their businesses.

According to the Human Capital theory formalized by Becker (1962), education and training are regarded as the investments
in the future productivity of a person. The theory views the impact of education and experience on the career outcomes of
individuals. The findings of this study show that females who had prior experience related to the job field were more stable in
their business and many of them believed that regardless of the field, the experience gained from previous employment
helped them become more confident in running their own business. Arenius and Minniti (2005) stated that a higher level of
education promotes a higher degree of involvement in business start-ups. In accordance to the findings of this study, the
women with educational qualifications in relation to their work field were confident in carrying out their own business and
others believed that following a course related to their respective fields posed a positive impact on the success of their
ventures. Former education and training influences women entrepreneurs and imparts the required knowledge and training
along with other behavioral aspects to develop entrepreneurial activities (Reynolds, 2011). With this regard, it can be
highlighted that education level can pose an impact on the female entrepreneurship at business start-up stage.

The economic motivation was the main influence on entrepreneurial activities (Papanek, 1971). According to the Economic
theory of Entrepreneurship, the remunerative gains instantaneously developed eagerness among individuals to start
entrepreneurial activities (Harris, 1971). Studies claimed that people who have capital on their hand tend to have high
possibility of becoming entrepreneurs (Oswald & Blanchflower, 1998). To initiate a business, wealth acts as a crucial input
(Parker, 2009). The study found out that majority of the females prefer accumulating the business capital via their own
savings rather than reaching out for external financial resources. As per the motivation to commence a business, the study
showed that most of the women entrepreneurs were driven by income matters to initiate their own venture. A few started the
business to gain self-satisfaction by following their passion. There was very little impact from the government on business
start-up. However previous studies have shown that if the government assists women by providing them guarantees they
would limit external financing methods (Parker, 2009). Therefore, it can be deduced that availability of financial resources
can be act as a barrier for women entrepreneurs when starting up a business.

Cochran (1965), in his Cultural Theory of Entrepreneurship proposed that the entrepreneurs are affected by their personal
attitudes towards their occupation or when facilitating a new venture. Studies showed that the women entrepreneurs were
confident in themselves and were able to carry out their own business efficiently. Researchers have state that the risk-taking
ability is the confidence to make decisions (Minniti & Nardone, 2007). Self-employed females possess a greater level of risk-
taking ability to help them face business problems (Herbert & Link, 1989). Initiating a business is not only identified as the
risk, it also generates an income and positive outcomes during the operations (Sitkin & Pablo, 1992). According to Wikham
(1998) for self-employment it is important to have basic management skills such as planning, controlling, time management,
leadership skills, communication skills, etc. Cochran (1965), state that interest and the behavior of a leader is highly rely
upon the type of childbearing and the school. While running a business communication and leadership skills are vital in
dealing with the customers. The entrepreneurial abilities, apparent behavior and personal attitudes can affect directly or
indirectly by social norms (Sylvia, 2015). External parties can influence to one’s personal attitudes or it can be self-intention.
For a woman, it can act as a barrier to enter into the business world. Therefore, influence of personal attitudes can be a barrier
or a supporter for women entrepreneurs when starting up their business.

Conclusion andRecommendation: -
This study identified a number of insightful remarks to be further researched in studies. The interviewed female entrepreneurs
strongly believed that family support is crucial at the initiation stage. Family support was crucial for women entrepreneurs in
managing both business and household work from the start up stage itself. If there is a business within parents or other family
members, their knowledge, expertise and skills can be positively influenced when establishing a business. In this regard, the
respondents showed a positive motivation to initiate their own business.

There is a high possibility of being self-employed, if a person has fulfilled their higher education. Studies have also shown
that education helps to identify business opportunities to equip the essential skills to start the business (Jo & Lee, 1996).
According to this study, majority of the women had followed some sort of courses related to their field of business and others
gained training and experience from external sources. They were all thorough in their respective fields and strongly believed
that without proper knowledge, it is impossible to run their own business.

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When initiating a new business, accumulation of financial capital is a main requirement where women entrepreneurs to
struggle to raise in the start-up stage. Through this research, it was evident that the female entrepreneurs were hesitant source
finance from external sources. Hence, the preference was towards to utilize their own assets and cash in hand to invest in the
business at the start-up stage.

The female entrepreneurs had their own perspectives and stepped out of their traditional customs to follow their selected
career paths. Majority of the females were confident in their business because they had developed a passion for the field of
work and it was evident that without a passion, accomplishment in the business was very limited. The attitude and behavior
of the entrepreneur will highly affect the performance of the business and the recognition gained for the venture. Therefore, it
can state that the impact of family background, effects of educational level, availability of financial resources and influence
of personal attitudes were either can be barriers or supporters for women entrepreneurs when initiating a business.

Limitations and Further Research

This study states several insightful remarks to further research in studies. The area which the research is conducted was only
focused on the women entrepreneurs in Western Province. In Sri Lanka, there can be different cultures in other parts of the
country which may affect in various ways towards the business startup. This study attempts to identify few barriers which can
be mainly affect to the business startup. There may be an influence of infrastructural barriers such as land, information,
access to credit, and technology for the women. And also, slow growth, high shut down rates, lack of institutional support,
absence of knowing about technology can also be barriers towards women entrepreneurship. This study claimed the barriers
in the start-up stage where as future research may be conducted focusing on various stages of a business.

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