An Exploratory Study of Women Entrepreneurs in Malaysia: Motivation and Problems

Abstract

Entrepreneurial activity relating to women entrepreneurs has been the interest of many researchers, as they have become the main contributors to today’s economy. However, not much is known about what motivates and hinders ‘womenpreneurs’ in their entrepreneurial process. This paper examines the motivational factors and barriers of 194 Malaysian womenpreneurs who were randomly selected from a list of Federation of Women Entrepreneur Associations in Malaysia. The research design in this study focused on the primary data collected using a self administered questionnaire that was distributed through mail survey. The instruments assessed relevant areas, such as demographic and business information, motivations, entrepreneurial characteristics, and business problems. Result of the survey shows that women entrepreneurs do have problems when they enter into the business. The implications of this study are discussed along with some recommendations.