An Analysis of the Women's Entrepreneurial Intentions and Participation in Informal Economy: A Case Study of Quetta, Pakistan

Abstract

The study highlights the women's involvement in the informal economy with their issues and intentions in becoming entrepreneurs. The study was conducted in Quetta, Balochistan by using a mixed-method research design to determine the reasons for the low women's entrepreneurship rate and women's preference to be part of the informal economy. To achieve study objectives, 22 women entrepreneurs were interviewed using purposive sampling, and 200 non-entrepreneur women were surveyed using convenience sampling. The findings of the study indicated that the main problems in starting a business are access to capital, lack of proper training, and lack of knowledge about starting a new business. Cultural norms and family support are the key factors influencing women's intention to be entrepreneurs. The study recommends that women's involvement in socio-economic activities is crucial for a country’s prosperity and progress and the government must devise policies for facilitating and promoting women's entrepreneurship in the region with a special focus on encouraging women-led small and medium enterprises