Challenges, Support Ecosystem, and Survivability Dynamics of Women Entrepreneurs in Urban Area of Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62843/jrsr/2025.4d138Keywords:
Women Entrepreneurs, Women Chambers of Commerce and Industry (WCCIs), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), SurvivabilityAbstract
The primary aim of this research study is to critically analyse the dynamic interplay between socio-cultural constraints and economic coping strategies among urban women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. This involved multi-faceted approach to first identify and categorized the core systematic barriers, especially the limitation imposed by gender inequality i.e., patriarchal control and financial execution, which restrict the growth and formalization of women-led micro enterprise. At the same time, the study aimed to investigate how well self-driven strategies specially, the quick uptake of digital platforms can get around traditional market limitations and overcome physical mobility barriers. Lastly, the study aimed to derive strong, contextualised theoretical implications and practical policy recommendations necessary for building a truly inclusive an enabling entrepreneurial environment within the urban Pakistani context by assessing the applicability and usefulness of current institutional and policy support mechanisms against the lived realities and needs of these entrepreneurs. Purposive sampling technique is used in this study. Semi- structured interviews and phenomenology are used in this qualitative study to examine the experience the barriers of 30 women and determine their barriers to becoming sustainable entrepreneurs in urban area of Pakistan.
References
Ajiva, O. A., Ejike, O. G., & Abhulimen, A. O. (2024). Empowering female entrepreneurs in the creative sector: Overcoming barriers and strategies for long-term success. Int J Adv Econ, 6(08), 424–436.
Anisah, S., Ahmad, K., Arif, N., Omar, S. S., & Rakiman, U. S. (2017). Islam, Muslim and Business. Advanced Science Letters, 23(5), 4708–4711.
Anwar, S., & Saleem, M. (2025). Unlocking Rural Potential: Rethinking Support Structure for Women Entrepreneurs in Pakistan’s Rural Context. Journal of Social Sciences Review, 5(4), 63–73.
Baid, R. (n.d.). Global Recession and Contributing Factors. Retrieved November 29, 2025, from https://www.ijef.latticescipub.com/wp-content/uploads/papers/v3i1/B2554113223.pdf
Bobek, V., Schachl, A., & Horvat, T. (2023). The impact of women’s economic empowerment on the rise of female entrepreneurship and human capital in South Africa. International Journal of Diplomacy and Economy, 9(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJDIPE.2023.128803
Corrêa, V. S., Lima, R. M. de, Brito, F. R. da S., Machado, M. C., & Nassif, V. M. J. (2024). Female entrepreneurship in emerging and developing countries: A systematic review of practical and policy implications and suggestions for new studies. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 16(2), 366–395.
Ghag, N., Sonar, H., Chaubey, A., & Singh, R. K. (2025). Unpacking the factors that support women’s entrepreneurship: A critique and exploration of new avenues using a fsQCA approach. Benchmarking: An International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-01-2025-0004
Hao, S., Liu, L., Wang, G., & Wang, X. (2025). Bridging the urban–rural income divide through entrepreneurship: Evidence from a double machine learning approach in China. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 9, 1647052.
Hoor-Ul-Ain, S., & Iraqi, K. M. (2022). Gender-inclusive corporate boards and business performance in Pakistan. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 11(1), 227–273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13520-022-00147-0
Iqbal, M., Shahbaz, M., Ahmad, B., & Saleem, H. A. R. (2025). Breaking barriers: Empowering women’s professional development in Pakistan to achieve gender equality. The Critical Review of Social Sciences Studies, 3(1), 397–411.
Irwin, K., McDowell, W., & Ribeiro-Navarrete, S. (2025). How can women entrepreneurs overcome funding challenges: The role of digitalization and innovation. Venture Capital, 27(2), 225–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691066.2023.2282542
Işık, C., Ongan, S., Günlü, E., Aydın, R., & İmamoğlu, İ. K. (2025). The Role of Women’s Entrepreneurship, Unemployment, Global Warming, and Technology in Sustainable Development: Evidence From OECD Countries. Sustainable Development, 33(S1), 1059–1077. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70045
Jones, S., & Nadin, S. (2025). “I’d like to make a proper go of it but it’s really scary”: The perpetual liminality of informally self-employed women as stigmatized entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 37(3–4), 503–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2024.2425945
Kalaivani, N., Vijayarangan, R., Chandra, S., & Karthikeyan, P. (2025). Women Entrepreneurs in Emerging Markets for Driving Economic Growth. In Real-World Tools and Scenarios for Entrepreneurship Exploration (pp. 257–290). IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/women-entrepreneurs-in-emerging-markets-for-driving-economic-growth/360749
Kirsch, D. A., Wadhwani, R. D., & Welter, F. (2025). Contextualizing the Canon: Sociohistorical Change and the Future of Entrepreneurship Research. Academy of Management Perspectives, amp.2023.0385. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2023.0385
Kojana, T. (2020). The influence of religious faith on the entrepreneurship process of established entrepreneurs [Master’s Thesis, University of Pretoria (South Africa)]. https://search.proquest.com/openview/f02d3d1caeba0af3cffa07380ffadd97/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2026366&diss=y
Lamotte, O. (2025). Close but not nearby? Rethinking proximity in the digital era of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 23, e00521.
Lehri, Z. A., Naudhani, T., & Sadiq, W. (2025). WOMEN’S ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN. International Journal of Social Sciences Bulletin, 3(10), 225–239.
Ma, D., Chen, H., & Wei, X. (2025). Social media resources and entrepreneurial opportunity evaluation. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 27(1), 61–82.
Ogbari, M. E., Folorunso, F., Simon-Ilogho, B., Adebayo, O., Olanrewaju, K., Efegbudu, J., & Omoregbe, M. (2024a). Social empowerment and its effect on poverty alleviation for sustainable development among women entrepreneurs in the Nigerian agricultural sector. Sustainability, 16(6), 2225.
Ogbari, M. E., Folorunso, F., Simon-Ilogho, B., Adebayo, O., Olanrewaju, K., Efegbudu, J., & Omoregbe, M. (2024b). Social empowerment and its effect on poverty alleviation for sustainable development among women entrepreneurs in the Nigerian agricultural sector. Sustainability, 16(6), 2225.
Ogundana, O. M., Simba, A., Dana, L.-P., & Liguori, E. (2021). Women entrepreneurship in developing economies: A gender-based growth model. Journal of Small Business Management, 59(sup1), S42–S72. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2021.1938098
Panwar, S., Srivastava, A., Singh, D., & Singh, A. (2025). Challenges Faced by Women Entrepreneurs in Balancing Work and Personal Life. In Work-Life Balance and Its Effect on Women Entrepreneurs (pp. 1–28). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/challenges-faced-by-women-entrepreneurs-in-balancing-work-and-personal-life/379172
Pleyers, G., Janssen, F., & Shinnar, R. S. (2025). Female but not too feminine. Perceptions of female entrepreneurs and their ventures: The role of gender and feminine adornments. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 37(5–6), 692–713. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2025.2458015
Qadeera, M., Razab, A., & Nadeem, K. (2024a). Women in Entrepreneurship: Driving Social and Economic Progress. Al-Aasar, 1(4), 57–69.
Qadeera, M., Razab, A., & Nadeem, K. (2024b). Women in Entrepreneurship: Driving Social and Economic Progress. Al-Aasar, 1(4), 57–69.
Raza, A., Yousafzai, S., & Saeed, S. (2024). Breaking barriers and bridging gaps: The influence of entrepreneurship policies on women’s entry into entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 30(7), 1779–1810.
Raza, M., Khalique, M., Khalid, R., Kasuma, J., Ali, W., & Selem, K. M. (2025). Achieving SMEs’ excellence: Scale development of Islamic entrepreneurship from business and spiritual perspectives. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, 16(1), 86–106.
Rizvi, S. A. A., Qureshi, M. A., & Ansari, J. (2025). Promoting Women Entrepreneurship For Gender Equality, Social Inclusion And Sustainability In Pakistan. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business Venturing, 5(1). https://www.jebv.pk/index.php/JEBV/article/view/128
Rizvi, S. A. A., Shah, S. J., Qureshi, M. A., Wasim, S., Aleemi, A. R., & Ali, M. (2023). Challenges and motivations for women entrepreneurs in the service sector of Pakistan. Future Business Journal, 9(1), 71. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-023-00251-y
Rodrik, D., & Stiglitz, J. E. (2025). A new growth strategy for developing nations. In The New Global Economic Order (pp. 89–107). Routledge. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/104259/1/9781040400159.pdf#page=102
Sapiro, A. (2024). Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In A. Sapiro, Strategic Management (pp. 373–399). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-55669-2_13
Sarfraz, F., Laila, U., & Raja, S. S. (2025a). Home-Based Entrepreneurship: An Extensive Review of Literature. Pakistan Social Sciences Review, 9(3), 519–540.
Sarfraz, F., Laila, U., & Raja, S. S. (2025b). Home-Based Entrepreneurship: An Extensive Review of Literature. Pakistan Social Sciences Review, 9(3), 519–540.
Singh, S., & Dash, B. M. (2021). Gender discrimination in accessing finance by women-owned businesses: A review. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 22(9), 381–399.
Tang, C. S. (2022). Innovative Technology and Operations for Alleviating Poverty through Women’s Economic Empowerment. Production and Operations Management, 31(1), 32–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.13349
Thomas, K. R. (2024). Exploring Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership: An Overview.
Trivedi, S. K., Petkova, A. P., & Willems, J. (2025). Building social capital to escape poverty: An intersectionality perspective on women’s entrepreneurship at the base of the pyramid. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2025.2473099
Zeb, A., & Ihsan, A. (2020). Innovation and the entrepreneurial performance in women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in Pakistan. Women’s Studies International Forum, 79, 102342. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539519303668
Zhang, J. A., O’Kane, C., & Griffin, D. (2025). What drives micro-entrepreneurs’ value-oriented innovative behavior in microfinance: An entrepreneurial resourcefulness perspective. Small Business Economics, 65(3), 2033–2062. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-025-01081-8
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
