Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of Muslim society marriages – forced,
arranged or marriages of choice/love, on women entrepreneurial intentions (EI), with reference to Ajzen’s
(2002) theory of planned behaviour. It is postulated that marriage type has a significant influence on women
household dynamics towards EI and business growth.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative methodology was used and a total of 20 semi-structured
face-to-face interviews were conducted with Muslim married women entrepreneurs operating home-based
and market-based small businesses.
Findings – The findings show that all these three types of married women entrepreneurs are active in the
entrepreneurial process. However, the authors found different paradoxes in their EI and desire for business
growth based on their marriage choices or marriage-related constraints that may have been imposed on them.
Research limitations/implications – Qualitative research on a small sample size certainly presents a
limitation on the generalizability of this work, because it is difficult to capture data regarding this sensitive
issue. Future research could also be carried out in other cultural and religious traditions.
Social implications – The paper provides good insights to understand the entrepreneurial journey of
Muslim women entrepreneurs in the conservative society based on their marriages options.
Originality/value – The contribution of this research is twofold. First, the paper offers a theoretical
perspective related to female EI and business growth based on religious marriages. Second, it applies Ajzen’s
(2002) planned behaviour theory to establish how marriage constraints may influence women EI in the
Muslim society.
arranged or marriages of choice/love, on women entrepreneurial intentions (EI), with reference to Ajzen’s
(2002) theory of planned behaviour. It is postulated that marriage type has a significant influence on women
household dynamics towards EI and business growth.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative methodology was used and a total of 20 semi-structured
face-to-face interviews were conducted with Muslim married women entrepreneurs operating home-based
and market-based small businesses.
Findings – The findings show that all these three types of married women entrepreneurs are active in the
entrepreneurial process. However, the authors found different paradoxes in their EI and desire for business
growth based on their marriage choices or marriage-related constraints that may have been imposed on them.
Research limitations/implications – Qualitative research on a small sample size certainly presents a
limitation on the generalizability of this work, because it is difficult to capture data regarding this sensitive
issue. Future research could also be carried out in other cultural and religious traditions.
Social implications – The paper provides good insights to understand the entrepreneurial journey of
Muslim women entrepreneurs in the conservative society based on their marriages options.
Originality/value – The contribution of this research is twofold. First, the paper offers a theoretical
perspective related to female EI and business growth based on religious marriages. Second, it applies Ajzen’s
(2002) planned behaviour theory to establish how marriage constraints may influence women EI in the
Muslim society.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1389-1409 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Nov 2019 |
Keywords
- Business growth
- Entrepreneurial intention
- Muslim marriages
- Theory of planned behaviour
- Women entrepreneurs