Exploring women entrepreneurs' push–pull motives and challenges: empirical evidence in an emerging economy

Purpose: Research on women-owned businesses is more extensive in developed countries than in developing countries. This prompted the authors to investigate the factors that affect women entrepreneurs' motives to start a business and the challenges they faced in running their businesses in India. Design/methodology/approach: Data for the analysis were collected from 620 respondents using a structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews with 20 women entrepreneurs. The data were then analyzed using descriptive and factor analysis in the statistical software “SPSS” (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Findings: The findings showed that the primary motivation for women to launch their own business was to achieve self-employment. Other motivations include increasing income and allowing women to follow their passion. Factor analysis indicates that women entrepreneurs are more motivated by push than pull factors. The research also shows that women encounter challenges in their entrepreneurial journey, such as access to financing, issues with gender equality and social and cultural obligations. Originality/value: The study on women entrepreneurs in the Indian context is limited. This study responds to a need of better understanding of women motivations and challenges. By studying these constructs, the study shows that start-up motives and challenges faced by female entrepreneurs are unique to different contexts.