Description
On this particular paper with regards to the dynamics of women entrepreneurs in trinidad and tobago motivations, challenges.
International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies
June 2015, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 33-41
ISSN: 2333-6021 (Print), 2333-603X (Online)
Copyright ©The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.
Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development
DOI: 10.15640/ ijgws.v3n1p5
URL: http:/ / dx.doi.org/ 10.15640/ ijgws.v3n1p5
The Dynamics of Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago- Motivations, Challenges
and Recommendations to Support their Entrepreneurial Development
Dr. Natasha Ramkissoon-Babwah
1
Abstract
On the global stage the contribution of women entrepreneurs in the business economic landscape is
increasing. Women entrepreneurs have also been positioned as the new engines for growth and the rising
stars of the economies in developing countries to bring prosperity and welfare to all sectors of society.
However, despite the increasing number of women entrepreneurs there is limited knowledge into the
motivational factors of women entrepreneurs in the developing country context which leads to a strategic gap
in the formulation of policies and programmes to cultivate a female entrepreneurial class. This paper
addresses this gap by investigating the motivation of female entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago and
providing recommendations to support their development. As a result of the research process it was
determined that the three main reasons that women stated for becoming entrepreneurs were to fulfil their
personal goals, to be their own boss with a high level of independence and to contribute to society. The
recommendations included the centralization of entrepreneurial support services information, cultural
socialization towards women in entrepreneurship, development of women entrepreneurial networks and
integration of gender dimension in policy and legislation frameworks.
Keywords: Women Entrepreneurs, Motivational Factors, Developing Country, Business Growth
1. Introduction
On the global stage the active contribution of women entrepreneurs in the business enterprise economic
landscape is growing. The Global Entrepreneurship Report (GEM) 2012 Women’s Report has revealed that more
than 126 million women entrepreneurs were starting or running new businesses in 67 economies in 2012. According
to the Report, women entrepreneurs are drawn more to the consumer-industry sector while men continue to
dominate the capital and knowledge-based manufacturing and service sectors. Women entrepreneurs have also been
positioned as the new engines for growth and the rising stars of the economies in developing countries to bring
prosperity and welfare. A variety of stakeholders has pointed at them as an important ‘untapped source’ of economic
growth and development (Minniti and Naudé, 2010). Researchers Ufuk and Ozgen, (2001) also argue that
entrepreneurial activity has been adopted by an increased level of women in recent years. The studies of Kelly, Brush,
Greene, and Litovsky (2011) in their GEM Executive Report also suggest that recently a significant number of women
entered entrepreneurial activities and have contributed to the development of their economies on an international
basis. They state that in 2010, 104 million women in 59 economies, representing over 52% of the world’s population
and 84% of the world’s GDP, started and managed new enterprises. The studies of Riebe (2003) are also positive in
their suggestions that the landscape for the active participation of women entrepreneurs is encouraging, He further
explains that on an international level 1 in 10 women is self-employed, and it is estimated that women own and
manage up to one-third of all businesses in developed countries. This is augmented by the research of Nelton (1998)
who has noted this growth of female entrepreneurship since the 1970s, from 5% to 38% in 30 years.
1
Lecturer Entrepreneurial Studies, Department of Management Studies, The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine
Campus Trinidad and Tobago. E-mail:[email protected], Telephone: 1-868-789-6918
34 International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, Vol. 3(1), June 2015
Hisrich, Brush, Good, & De Souza, (1997) cite this as one of the most significant, yet quietest, revolutions of
our time and argue that an increasing number of women are seeking to enter the arena of business ownership even
though this means they have to manage risks and it demands a high degree of time and energy. The research of the
IDB (2010) has also highlighted a significant statistical correlation between gender equality and the level of
development of countries, as well as the link between diversity and performance where diversity is a source for
competitive advantage. Moreover, women’s enterprise development and, in general, increasing women’s economic
opportunities are significant for social growth given women’s resource allocation into their families and communities.
Therefore, women’s economic participation will affect human development and impact the inter-generational
transmission of poverty in the developing country context in a positive manner. It is evident that the activity of
female entrepreneurs is making a significant difference in their communities and economies, in both developed and
developing countries. However, despite the increasing number of women entrepreneurs, Starr and Yudkin (1996)
argue that little is known about women entrepreneurs' business practices, their survival and growth strategies, and
their perceptions of their entrepreneurial careers. There is also limited research into the main motivational factors of
women entrepreneurs in the developing country context which leads to a strategic gap in the formulation of policies
and programme imperatives to cultivate a vibrant female entrepreneurial class. This paper will address this gap by
investigating the motivations of female entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago and will provide recommendations to
support their future development. The knowledge gained from this specific study also has the potential to be scaled
and replicated in other countries of the Caribbean Region as well as the Third World sphere of activity and can be
useful in providing an avenue for the cross fertilization of competencies and understandings of the main motivational
factors of women entrepreneurs.
2. Entrepreneurial Motivation
The action of becoming an entrepreneur, one who is self-employed and who starts, organizes, manages, and
assumes responsibility for a business, offers a personal challenge that many individuals prefer over being an employee
working for someone else. Entrepreneurs accept the personal financial risks that go with owning a business but also
benefit directly from the potential success of the business. However the entrepreneurial journey is often viewed as an
adverse career choice where one is faced with everyday life and work situations that are fraught with increased
uncertainty, impediments, failures, and frustrations associated with the process of new firm creation (Campbell, 1992).
Not surprisingly, many researchers have investigated the motivation to become self-employed. What is it about certain
people that motivate them to take on the risk, the uncertainty and the independent structure of business ownership?
The research of (Okafor and Amalu 2010) suggests that motivation is the set of forces that initiate behavior and
determine its form, direction, intensity and duration. People’s ability to take action and make decisions is based on
what the motivating factor is that energizes them to select a particular path instead of another. Also Kuratko and
Hodgetts (2007) believe that the entrepreneurial motivations of individuals usually relate to the personal characteristics
of the entrepreneur, the environment, and the venture itself.
Early entrepreneurial motivational research has mainly focused identifying traits and characteristics that
distinguished entrepreneurs from the general population, rather than developing process-based models. Beginning
with McClelland (1961), who argued that a high need for achievement was a personality trait common to
entrepreneurs, a great deal of research has focused on characteristics of entrepreneurs (Shaver and Scott, 1991).
Psychological theories such as those developed by McLelland (1961) pay attention to personal traits, motives and
incentives of an individual and conclude that entrepreneurs have a strong need for achievement. A similar focus is
found in locus of control theories that conclude that an entrepreneur will probably have strong internal locus of
control (Low & MacMillan 1988, Amit et. al. 1993). This means that an entrepreneur believes in his or her capabilities
to commence and complete things and events through his or her own actions. Davidsson (1989) states that
achievement motivation is the most important factor contributing in explaining variation of growth rates and
entrepreneurship. Perhaps the most widely accepted motivational concept has been postulated by Gilad and Levine
(1986)- the push-pull theory. The “push” theory argues that individuals are pushed into entrepreneurship by negative
external forces, such as job dissatisfaction, difficulty finding employment, insufficient salary, or inflexible work
schedule. The “pull” theory contends that individuals are attracted into entrepreneurial activities seeking
independence, self-fulfillment, wealth, and other desirable outcomes. Further Research conducted by Orhan and
Scott, (2001) indicates that individuals become entrepreneurs primarily due to “pull” factors, rather than “push”
factors.
Natasha Ramkissoon-Babwah 35
The work of Amit and Muller (1995) define pull entrepreneurs as individuals who were pulled out of
employment because of the attractiveness of entrepreneurship by making more money or by realizing a business
concept. Push entrepreneurs, on the other hand, were pushed out of employment by frustration or by a lack of
challenge within their current environment. In a study undertaken by Baumol (1968) it was stated that entrepreneurs
are motivated by the reward structure in the economy. This economic perspective on new venture initiation focuses
on the usefulness, utility, or desirability of an entrepreneurial career. Campbell's (1992) economic decision model
compares the expected net present benefits of entrepreneurship relative to the expected gains from wage labour. The
research of Rees and Shah (1986) found that the variance of earnings for self-employed individuals was triple that of
individuals working for others, leading to the conclusion that risk-averse individuals are less likely to pursue self-
employment.
Segal, Borgia and Schoenfeld (2008) view the decision between a career of self-employment or working for others as a
rational three-part process in which:
1. Individuals compare the desirability of self-employment with the desirability of working for others.
2. Individuals assess whether they possess the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the tasks and
activities necessary to become an entrepreneur.
3. Individuals determine whether they are willing to accept the inherent risk of entrepreneurial activity.
There has also been research on the key motivations of entrepreneurs from a country perspective. In a
ground breaking study Kuratko, Hornsby and Naffziger (1997) and Robichaud, McGraw and Roger (2001) surveyed
entrepreneurs from North America to examine the possible motivation classifications of entrepreneurs. The findings
from their work reveal that the motivation of entrepreneurs falls into four distinct categories: 1. extrinsic rewards, 2.
the need for independence/ autonomy, 3. intrinsic rewards and 4. family security. In Romania, income and job
security factors were stronger motivators as opposed to the satisfaction of personal needs (Benzing, Chu and Szabo
2005). With respect to India it was determined that entrepreneurs were strongly motivated by the desire for autonomy
and the opportunity to increase their income levels (Benzing and Chu 2005). In Turkey, entrepreneurs were mainly
motivated to start their own business to provide security for themselves and their family and to increase their income
levels (Ozsoy, Oksoy and Kozan 2001). The work of Benzing, Chu and Kara (2009) also presented other research
results from African countries. For example Ugandan entrepreneurs are motivated by “making money” (Bewayo
1995). Another research study of entrepreneurs in Kenya and Ghana (Chu, Benzing and McGee 2007) determined
that the strongest two motivators were to increase income and to provide employment to themselves. Finally Roy and
Wheeler (2006) has suggested that microenterprise owners in West Africa were motivated by a desire to satisfy basic
psychological needs – food and shelter in their pursuit of an entrepreneurial opportunity. To summarize this issue
Shane, Locke and Collins (2003) emphasizes the personal and “human” factor of the entrepreneur’s motivation.
What is interesting is that the concept of entrepreneurial motivation is likened to a game where the player is motivated
by personal and human influences. The authors further suggest that a person cannot win a game that they do not play.
In the context of entrepreneurship, this statement suggests that success depends on people’s willingness to become
entrepreneurs.Moreover, because the pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunity is an evolutionary process in which
people select out at many steps along the way, decisions made after the discovery of opportunities - to positively
evaluate opportunities, to pursue resources, and to design the mechanisms of exploitation - also depend on the
willingness of people to ‘‘play’’ the game. In the article they argued that human motivations influence these decisions,
and that variance across people in these motivations will influence who pursues entrepreneurial opportunities, who
assembles resources, and how people undertake the entrepreneurial process. Entrepreneurial motivations are therefore
driven by human agency and propensity to be a player in the business creation process.
3. What Motivates Women Entrepreneurs?
Many women in the world are participating actively in an entrepreneurial journey.However, their participation
is only now starting to gain attention and interest from a diverse range of stakeholders. The number of female
business owners continues to increase on a consistentbasis however,the gender gap in this process is demonstrated
when women’s motives to start or run a business are compared to men’s. The GEM (2010) Report reveals that
women are much more likely to be driven by necessity than men when starting a business.
36 International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, Vol. 3(1), June 2015
The Report further explains that in developing countries, the majority of women who are engaged in
entrepreneurial activity are driven by pure survival - out of necessity rather than opportunity - because there are no
jobs or any other options for income generation. The IDB (2010) also explains that the decisionsto become
entrepreneurs are different for men and women, and most of the push-out factors are specific for women. Barriers
explain partially why women decide to start businesses: (1) necessity based reasons, push out factors, include barriers
in the labour market or need for supplemental income; (2) pull-in factors are opportunity-based and related to
earnings expectations or the desire for more flexibility. Therefore, an important percentage of women enter the
MSME world push out from the labour market and forced by the need to supplement or generate income for their
families. There have been several studies which have investigated the motivations of women entrepreneurs across
different cultures and countries. For example research conducted by Roggenkamp and White (1998) that focused on
nurses who started their own businesses and found that the need for flexibility was a significant motivator to leave a
traditional nursing setting and undertake an entrepreneurial venture on their own. They further stated that the reasons
for women's decisions to start their own businesses include aligning with their values, generating excitement,
developing their leadership skills, providing avenues for self-advancement, and fulfilling lifelong goals of
independence. Coughlin and Thomas, (2002) argue that one of the most universal motivators for women to start
businesses is the need to generate income for themselves and their families. They further suggest that within
developed economies a significant number of women embark on entrepreneurial activity toachieve those things that
the system fails to provide them.
The research of Dhaliwal and Kangis (2006) on the motivations of Asian Women Entrepreneurs in the
United Kingdom suggests that some women's businesses were hobby related and that these women choose roles as
entrepreneurs as an extension of the roles associated with being Asian women or wives. The majority of the women
entrepreneurs had family members in business and trusted on private and family funds to start and grow their
businesses enterprises. The exploratory research by Mcelwee and Riyami (2003) investigated the motivations for
women's entrepreneurship in Oman and the barriers to women's success in this area. The main factors that motivated
women entrepreneurs were enjoyment of the process of entrepreneurship, financial independence and job
satisfaction. The study also demonstrated that women are inclined to define success differently from men, and
women's motivation differs from the motivations of men. They further explain that women appear to be satisfied by
micro-level entrepreneurial activities, aiming for stability rather than growth, and they generally have less access to
external funding than men. Thus, women's businesses tend to be concentrated in service sectors that usually require a
small initial capital outlay and less technical knowledge in order to be successful. Another study undertaken by Naser,
Mohammed and Nuseibeh (2009) identified the factors that motivate women in the United Arab Emirates to become
business entrepreneurs. This study indicated that financial support from the government (especially in the start-up
phase), self-fulfilment, knowledge, skill, experience and spousal relationships were important in motivating women.
While investigating the impact and expectations that family responsibility places on women, Simonin (2006) postulates
that many women start a business because of the autonomy and flexibility that are essential to the fulfilment of their
family obligations. This is also supported by Noble (1986) who argues that men perceive entrepreneurship as a
business decision while women perceive it as an integrating and balancing tool between family and career needs.
The research of Lee (1997) focused on the motivational factors of women entrepreneurs in Singapore with
an analysis of the four psychological needs i.e. achievement, affiliation, autonomy and dominance and their relations
to entrepreneurial aspirations. The findings reveal that the occupational choices of women were influenced by their
psychological needs. In terms of business ownership the main motivational factor was the higher need for dominance
and achievement by some women. Also women who believe that paid employment cannot satisfy their needs would
then look for an alternative source of employment and become entrepreneurs where they have more freedom and
power to chart their destiny. In addition the study also found that family background and life experiences as well as
educational background also played integral roles in their motivation to become entrepreneurs. These various
research studies present an array of the significant motivational factors that propel women entrepreneurs to start
their own business enterprises. There are the push or negative factors that engage women to start their business
enterprises such as necessity, barriers in the labour market or need for supplemental income. However there are
postive or pull factors such as a quest for independence, self empowerment and self development, the need for
freedom and an opportunity to utilize their talents and interests in a productive avenue to generate income for
themselves and their families. The higher degree of pull motivational factors confirms the statements made by Orhan
and Scott (2001) that indicated that individuals become entrepreneurs primarily due to “pull” factors, rather than
“push” factors.
Natasha Ramkissoon-Babwah 37
4. What Motivates Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago?
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Trinidad and Tobago National Report (2012) is a starting point to
dervive an understanding of the motivatations of women entrepreneurs. According to the Report historically in
Trinidad and Tobago women have been less active than men in entrepreneurial behaviour. This trend has continued
into 2012 when 15.5% of men and 11.8% of women in the Adult Population Survey reported being involved in Early
Stage Entrepreneurial Activity. However over the past two decades women in Trinidad and Tobago have become
more involved in starting and operating new businesses. With respect to other gender differences the GEM reported
that other significant differences between male and femaleinvolvement in entrepreneurship are: having the required
knowledge/ skills to start a business and the fear of failure. The GEM datarevealsthatin Trinidadand Tobagomore
females, 15.3%thanmales11% indicated thatfear of failure wouldpreventthem from startingabusiness. In addition the
report also states that fewer females also considered themselves to be equipped in terms of knowledge and skillwhen
startingupbusinesses.
4.1 The Research Process
What has been some of the factors that have motivated women to launch a business enterprise of their own
in Trinidad and Tobago? An empirical component was undertaken where one hundred (100) women entrepreneurs
were equally divided into four groups of twenty five(25) for qualitative group discussions. The participants were
questioned as to their motivations to become an entrepreneur using the theoretical model of the Push and Pull
Concepts and their challenges during their entrepreneurial journey. The women participants were sourced from a
national databse of female entrepreneurs and participants were selected from each of the four geographic zones within
the database – North, South, East and West – to reach the sample size of one hundred women entrepreneurs. During
the focus group discussions the researcher divided the women at random into groups of twenty five and employed a
rapportuer to take notes to assist in the analytical process. In addition each session was electronically recorded and the
media files transferred to an online computer systems for storage. On an average basis the length of each focus group
session was two hours. This focus group method was selected for this process since according to Ryan (2002)
qualitative interviews are more flexible and they allow greater spontaneity and adaptation of the interaction between
the researcher and the study participant. This approach was employed during the discussions since the researcher was
able to use and adapt the open ended questions accordingly within each group under study in order to gain elaborate
and richer responses.
The informality of the focus discussions also yielded a distinctive advantage as suggested by Marshall (2003)
who states that with qualitative methods, the relationship between the researcher and the participant is often less
formal than in quantitative research. Participants have the opportunity to respond elaborately and in greater detail
than is typically the case with quantitative methods. The use of opened-ended questions to the focus groups also
allowed participants the opportunity to respond in their own words, rather than forcing them to choose from fixed
responses, as quantitative methods do. This allowed the researcher to gain information that was meaningful and
culturally salient to the participant, unanticipated by the researcher and rich and explanatory in nature. In terms of the
analytical and presentation framework adopted for data presentation, a matching and referencing paradigm was
employed whereby during the variable factors discussion comments from the qualitative research were refrenced
against the thematic content of the motivational factors of women entrepreneurs as well as the Push and Pull concept.
This process allowed for a high yield of information to transmute into action oriented knowledge.
4.2 Research Findings on The Motivational Factors of Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago
With respect to motivational factors of local entrepreneurs, respondents revealed that the three main reasons
for becoming an entrepreneur were to fulfil their personal goals, to be their own boss with a high level of
independence and to contribute to society. These motivational factors are aligned with achievement based and “pull”
factors as previously discussed in the review on the motivations of women entrepreneurs. In this regard it can be
suggested that the motivational aspirations of female entrepreneurs in the developing country of Trinidad and
Tobago are in line with those of their First World counterparts. In addition, 11 entrepreneurs surveyed cited a profit
orientation as a motivational factor of entrepreneurship which supports the assertions made by economic decision
model of Campbell, (1992). It is also positive to note the greater social interest demonstrated by women entrepreneurs
in the area of contributing to society - 18 responses.
38 International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, Vol. 3(1), June 2015
The creation of a new company was the path they had chosen to achieve this goal. The role of inspirational
models as a motivational factor - 15 responses - is significant for entrepreneurship policy makers as this can provide a
keystone for development. In general these role models are individuals close to those interviewed such as family,
friends and acquaintances. They are rarely entrepreneurs discovered via mass media promotions. It was therefore not
surprising that role models are were more common in locations where SMEs have a strong presence and there exist
environments where geographic proximity and social networks bring successful SME entrepreneurs into closer
contact with inspiriting potential entrepreneurs. As such entrepreneurs that were located in the urban and semi-urban
locations had a higher knowledge/ interaction with more successful entrepreneurs and were capable of learning key
lessons and patterning/ designing their business models. These findings are summarized in Table One as follows:
Table One : The Motivational Factors of Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago
Motivational Factors of Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad & Tobago Response Tabulations
Acquire social status 3
Be like a Friend 4
Be like Parents 5
Be like someone in Media 6
To make profits 11
Contribute to society 18
Family tradition 5
Fullfill personal Goals 23
To be your own boss 25
Total 100
With respect to a situational perspective on the challenges of female entrepreneurship the participants
revealed that there were three major challenges that hampererd their entrepreneurial process and activities. Firstly
there was a knowledge gap in understanding the type and level of resources available to them from the private and
pulic sectors. This diffusion and fragmentation of enabling information can lead to sense of frustration and
demotivation among the entrepreneurs since they can feel they are alone or that there are many “hoops” to jump
before they receive needed resources. The participants cited their second major challenge was the lack of support and
encouragement from their peer networks. They further described the low level of suport from their domestic
partner/ spouse and especially other male family members. This can be as a result of the conditioning of the males in
society and their attitudies towards women who are owning and managing their business enterprise. The third
challenge was the lack of entrepreneurial and management skills to sucessful operate their business enterprises. The
women entrepreneurs stated that they knew that there were gaps in the areas of marketing, cash flow forecasting and
management, developing business plans and providing excellent customer service. This lack of comptencies limited
the growth of their business enterprises and caused a high degree of emontional stress and feelings of inadequacy on
the part of the women entrepreneurs. This is congruent with the findings of the GEM National Report of Trinidad
and Tobago (2012). The women also indicated other areas of concern such as the high rates of rent for start up
business enterprises, the rigid mind-set of lending institutions towards women entrepreneurs and a low level of
support and guidance to bid for public sector contracts.
5. Recommendations to Support Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago
The institutional learning of the International Labour Office ILO (2012), has suggested that women’s
entrepreneurship can be supported with wide-ranging policy frameworks that protect, foster and regulate a business
eco-system for female entrepreneurs. The ILO further states that the configuration of the framework should include
policies to improve women’s access to markets, to improve women’s access to and control over (financial) resources
and policies to strengthen social protection and that enhance social inclusion. In terms of programmes developed to
support women entrepreneurs, the ILO (2012) has stated that the main categories of such initatives include
programmes aimed to assist women in starting up new businesses through entrepreneurial training, and provision of
start-up resources. Other programmes are aimed to support women entrepreneurs with an increased level of technical
assistance in specific sectors to encourage exports or utilization of non-traditional natural resources. The ILO(2012)
further argues that there are some initiatives that focus on promoting change in societal attitudes towards
entrepreneurship, and in particular, women’s engagement in entrepreneurship in the main stream economic sphere of
activity.
Natasha Ramkissoon-Babwah 39
An alternative and exciting approach to support women entrepreneurs is suggested by Amine and Staub
(2009 ) who propose that to support the efforts of female entrepreneurs in the sub-Saharan Africa the tool of social
marketing should be utilized. They have further defined the concept of social marketing as: specifically selected
communication goals and messages that are tailored to promote shifts in beliefs and related attitudes towards women,
work and their enterprises. These proposed changes in beliefs and attitudes are designed to connect at three levels.
In level one they propose strategies in the regulatory environment that are focused on a consistient stream of
promotional activities for women’s political leadership at the highest echelon acting as a catalyst to diffuse changes in
laws to augument the social status of women. These strategies would be established to improve access to capital
(microcredit loans) for the use of women in their business enterprises. The second level proposes another series of
strategies in the normative environment comprising of of large-scale, regional, long-term advertising campaigns to
foster a significant attitude change among men towards their wives and daughters as individuals with the right of self-
determination and as successful entrepreneurs. For the third level they propose strategies in the cognitive and learning
environment that designs and develops a stream of appropriate entrepreneurial and educational training programmes
for girls and women to ignite a spark of interest in the pursuit of the entrepreneurial option and build capacity and
skills in the management of business enterprises. The process of crafting recommendations to support the
entrepreneurial development of women is also guided by the research of Katerina Sarri, Anna Trihopoulou, (2005)
who suggested that women entrepreneurs should not be treated as a monolithic category but instead policies and
programmes to support them should be specific and gender oriented. In this regard specific recommendations to
support women entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago are suggested based on an analysis of their situational context
and challenges as well as their motivational factors. The degree of alignment for the recommendations can also be
mapped against the core motivational factors as expressed by the women entrepreneurs and are presented as follows:
1. Centralization of Entrepreneurial Support Services Information: Women entrepreneurs often have a limited knowledge
about the support mechanisms that are available to provide resources and materials to structure their
entrepreneurial journey. This knowledge gap can act as a motivational barrier and the institutional stakeholders in
this developmental space should collaborate to create a central respository of their support resources with easy
access to nascent and exisiting entrepreneurs. An online channel for archiving and dissemination can be
appropriate as well as a promotional campaign to drive the entrepreneurs to the sites.
2. Cultural Socialization Towards Women In Entrepreneurship:A sustainable strategy must be developed to intergrate
entrepreneurial activities in the educational curriculum from the early primary school stages. This will play a
significant role in cultural sensitivity and acceptance of entrepreneurship as a viable option among the male
population and can lead to a sense of empowerment and a decreased learning curve for prospective female
entrepreneurs. The positive socialization process can also stimulate an increased interest in business enterprise
ownership as opposed to traditional employment.
3. Development of WomenEntrepreneurial Networks: An Entrepreneurial network dedicated to building linkages in the
business enterprise sector would increase the competitiveness of the business enterprises, strengthen existing
successes and share knowledge among women entrepreneurs. The GEM Trinidad and Tobago Report (2012) also
emphasises the importance of networking by suggesting that entrepreneurs require an array of resources to
both establish the business and to keep an establishing business going and expanding. In addition a formal
organization would have the legitimate power and position to have a unified advocacy voice within the sector for
women entrepreneurs. Specific services such as mentoring, business incubation and virtual office support can be
included in the entrepreneurial network.
4. Integration of Gender Dimension in PolicyandLegislation Frameworks: Tailored policy imperatives to support successful
women entrepreneurs can include gender certification on products and services, promotion of gender equality in
order to reduce discrimination in the labour market, and the provision of services to help women make their
businesses more productive and to expand them, for example: access to innovative financial credit products that
work with women specific asset accumulation patterns, improved access to entrepreneurial training in a virtual
learning environment, developing channels for exporting, and the provision childcare services.
40 International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, Vol. 3(1), June 2015
6. Future Research Directions
As a result of this overview of the motivations of women entrepreneurs from an international perspective, a
proposed agenda for future research directions can include an investigation into the impact and contribution of
women entrepreneurs towards economic growth in developing countries so that supporting frameworks can be
developed that are in alignment with the economic growth targets either by sector or geography and resource
availability. Another avenue for future research would be to study the operational configurations of business
enterprises that are managed by female entrepreneurs to determine if there are any gaps in the strategic direction and
implementation of their core business activitities. This can lead to the creation of progress milestones for these
business enterprises as a performance measurement system. Finally, further investigation on the constraint of the
gender gap in entrepreneurship in the developing country context is important and motivational barriers can be
identified and policy/ programmes developed to break down these barriers which can lead to an increase in the supply
of women entrepreneurs.
7. Conclusion
The pheonomea of women entreprenerus is one whose time has come and provides an arena to allow these
entrepreneurs to fullfill their potential and channel their talents into sustainable business enterprises. Michelle
Bachelet, Executive Director of U.N. Women (2011) has stated that she has seen what women, often in the toughest
circumstances, can achieve for their families and societies if they are given the opportunity. The strength, industry and
wisdom of women remain humanity’s greatest untapped resource she states and further explains that society cannot
afford to wait another 100 years to unlock women’s potential in the field of business enterprise ownership. This study
has provided insights into the motivational factors of women entrepreneurs in the developing country of Trinidad and
Tobago and has also investigated the challenges that these women face in their entrepreneurial journeys. The
motivational factors were revealed to be in alignment with the pull concept as espoused by Gilad and Levine (1986)
and the intervention areas included the centralization of entrepreneurial support services information, cultural
socialization towards women in entrepreneurship, development of women entrepreneurial networks, and integration
of a gender dimension in policy and legislation frameworks. It is envisioned that these recommendations would be a
viable platform to unleash a new wave of successful women entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago.
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doc_526773437.pdf
On this particular paper with regards to the dynamics of women entrepreneurs in trinidad and tobago motivations, challenges.
International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies
June 2015, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 33-41
ISSN: 2333-6021 (Print), 2333-603X (Online)
Copyright ©The Author(s). All Rights Reserved.
Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development
DOI: 10.15640/ ijgws.v3n1p5
URL: http:/ / dx.doi.org/ 10.15640/ ijgws.v3n1p5
The Dynamics of Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago- Motivations, Challenges
and Recommendations to Support their Entrepreneurial Development
Dr. Natasha Ramkissoon-Babwah
1
Abstract
On the global stage the contribution of women entrepreneurs in the business economic landscape is
increasing. Women entrepreneurs have also been positioned as the new engines for growth and the rising
stars of the economies in developing countries to bring prosperity and welfare to all sectors of society.
However, despite the increasing number of women entrepreneurs there is limited knowledge into the
motivational factors of women entrepreneurs in the developing country context which leads to a strategic gap
in the formulation of policies and programmes to cultivate a female entrepreneurial class. This paper
addresses this gap by investigating the motivation of female entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago and
providing recommendations to support their development. As a result of the research process it was
determined that the three main reasons that women stated for becoming entrepreneurs were to fulfil their
personal goals, to be their own boss with a high level of independence and to contribute to society. The
recommendations included the centralization of entrepreneurial support services information, cultural
socialization towards women in entrepreneurship, development of women entrepreneurial networks and
integration of gender dimension in policy and legislation frameworks.
Keywords: Women Entrepreneurs, Motivational Factors, Developing Country, Business Growth
1. Introduction
On the global stage the active contribution of women entrepreneurs in the business enterprise economic
landscape is growing. The Global Entrepreneurship Report (GEM) 2012 Women’s Report has revealed that more
than 126 million women entrepreneurs were starting or running new businesses in 67 economies in 2012. According
to the Report, women entrepreneurs are drawn more to the consumer-industry sector while men continue to
dominate the capital and knowledge-based manufacturing and service sectors. Women entrepreneurs have also been
positioned as the new engines for growth and the rising stars of the economies in developing countries to bring
prosperity and welfare. A variety of stakeholders has pointed at them as an important ‘untapped source’ of economic
growth and development (Minniti and Naudé, 2010). Researchers Ufuk and Ozgen, (2001) also argue that
entrepreneurial activity has been adopted by an increased level of women in recent years. The studies of Kelly, Brush,
Greene, and Litovsky (2011) in their GEM Executive Report also suggest that recently a significant number of women
entered entrepreneurial activities and have contributed to the development of their economies on an international
basis. They state that in 2010, 104 million women in 59 economies, representing over 52% of the world’s population
and 84% of the world’s GDP, started and managed new enterprises. The studies of Riebe (2003) are also positive in
their suggestions that the landscape for the active participation of women entrepreneurs is encouraging, He further
explains that on an international level 1 in 10 women is self-employed, and it is estimated that women own and
manage up to one-third of all businesses in developed countries. This is augmented by the research of Nelton (1998)
who has noted this growth of female entrepreneurship since the 1970s, from 5% to 38% in 30 years.
1
Lecturer Entrepreneurial Studies, Department of Management Studies, The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine
Campus Trinidad and Tobago. E-mail:[email protected], Telephone: 1-868-789-6918
34 International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, Vol. 3(1), June 2015
Hisrich, Brush, Good, & De Souza, (1997) cite this as one of the most significant, yet quietest, revolutions of
our time and argue that an increasing number of women are seeking to enter the arena of business ownership even
though this means they have to manage risks and it demands a high degree of time and energy. The research of the
IDB (2010) has also highlighted a significant statistical correlation between gender equality and the level of
development of countries, as well as the link between diversity and performance where diversity is a source for
competitive advantage. Moreover, women’s enterprise development and, in general, increasing women’s economic
opportunities are significant for social growth given women’s resource allocation into their families and communities.
Therefore, women’s economic participation will affect human development and impact the inter-generational
transmission of poverty in the developing country context in a positive manner. It is evident that the activity of
female entrepreneurs is making a significant difference in their communities and economies, in both developed and
developing countries. However, despite the increasing number of women entrepreneurs, Starr and Yudkin (1996)
argue that little is known about women entrepreneurs' business practices, their survival and growth strategies, and
their perceptions of their entrepreneurial careers. There is also limited research into the main motivational factors of
women entrepreneurs in the developing country context which leads to a strategic gap in the formulation of policies
and programme imperatives to cultivate a vibrant female entrepreneurial class. This paper will address this gap by
investigating the motivations of female entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago and will provide recommendations to
support their future development. The knowledge gained from this specific study also has the potential to be scaled
and replicated in other countries of the Caribbean Region as well as the Third World sphere of activity and can be
useful in providing an avenue for the cross fertilization of competencies and understandings of the main motivational
factors of women entrepreneurs.
2. Entrepreneurial Motivation
The action of becoming an entrepreneur, one who is self-employed and who starts, organizes, manages, and
assumes responsibility for a business, offers a personal challenge that many individuals prefer over being an employee
working for someone else. Entrepreneurs accept the personal financial risks that go with owning a business but also
benefit directly from the potential success of the business. However the entrepreneurial journey is often viewed as an
adverse career choice where one is faced with everyday life and work situations that are fraught with increased
uncertainty, impediments, failures, and frustrations associated with the process of new firm creation (Campbell, 1992).
Not surprisingly, many researchers have investigated the motivation to become self-employed. What is it about certain
people that motivate them to take on the risk, the uncertainty and the independent structure of business ownership?
The research of (Okafor and Amalu 2010) suggests that motivation is the set of forces that initiate behavior and
determine its form, direction, intensity and duration. People’s ability to take action and make decisions is based on
what the motivating factor is that energizes them to select a particular path instead of another. Also Kuratko and
Hodgetts (2007) believe that the entrepreneurial motivations of individuals usually relate to the personal characteristics
of the entrepreneur, the environment, and the venture itself.
Early entrepreneurial motivational research has mainly focused identifying traits and characteristics that
distinguished entrepreneurs from the general population, rather than developing process-based models. Beginning
with McClelland (1961), who argued that a high need for achievement was a personality trait common to
entrepreneurs, a great deal of research has focused on characteristics of entrepreneurs (Shaver and Scott, 1991).
Psychological theories such as those developed by McLelland (1961) pay attention to personal traits, motives and
incentives of an individual and conclude that entrepreneurs have a strong need for achievement. A similar focus is
found in locus of control theories that conclude that an entrepreneur will probably have strong internal locus of
control (Low & MacMillan 1988, Amit et. al. 1993). This means that an entrepreneur believes in his or her capabilities
to commence and complete things and events through his or her own actions. Davidsson (1989) states that
achievement motivation is the most important factor contributing in explaining variation of growth rates and
entrepreneurship. Perhaps the most widely accepted motivational concept has been postulated by Gilad and Levine
(1986)- the push-pull theory. The “push” theory argues that individuals are pushed into entrepreneurship by negative
external forces, such as job dissatisfaction, difficulty finding employment, insufficient salary, or inflexible work
schedule. The “pull” theory contends that individuals are attracted into entrepreneurial activities seeking
independence, self-fulfillment, wealth, and other desirable outcomes. Further Research conducted by Orhan and
Scott, (2001) indicates that individuals become entrepreneurs primarily due to “pull” factors, rather than “push”
factors.
Natasha Ramkissoon-Babwah 35
The work of Amit and Muller (1995) define pull entrepreneurs as individuals who were pulled out of
employment because of the attractiveness of entrepreneurship by making more money or by realizing a business
concept. Push entrepreneurs, on the other hand, were pushed out of employment by frustration or by a lack of
challenge within their current environment. In a study undertaken by Baumol (1968) it was stated that entrepreneurs
are motivated by the reward structure in the economy. This economic perspective on new venture initiation focuses
on the usefulness, utility, or desirability of an entrepreneurial career. Campbell's (1992) economic decision model
compares the expected net present benefits of entrepreneurship relative to the expected gains from wage labour. The
research of Rees and Shah (1986) found that the variance of earnings for self-employed individuals was triple that of
individuals working for others, leading to the conclusion that risk-averse individuals are less likely to pursue self-
employment.
Segal, Borgia and Schoenfeld (2008) view the decision between a career of self-employment or working for others as a
rational three-part process in which:
1. Individuals compare the desirability of self-employment with the desirability of working for others.
2. Individuals assess whether they possess the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the tasks and
activities necessary to become an entrepreneur.
3. Individuals determine whether they are willing to accept the inherent risk of entrepreneurial activity.
There has also been research on the key motivations of entrepreneurs from a country perspective. In a
ground breaking study Kuratko, Hornsby and Naffziger (1997) and Robichaud, McGraw and Roger (2001) surveyed
entrepreneurs from North America to examine the possible motivation classifications of entrepreneurs. The findings
from their work reveal that the motivation of entrepreneurs falls into four distinct categories: 1. extrinsic rewards, 2.
the need for independence/ autonomy, 3. intrinsic rewards and 4. family security. In Romania, income and job
security factors were stronger motivators as opposed to the satisfaction of personal needs (Benzing, Chu and Szabo
2005). With respect to India it was determined that entrepreneurs were strongly motivated by the desire for autonomy
and the opportunity to increase their income levels (Benzing and Chu 2005). In Turkey, entrepreneurs were mainly
motivated to start their own business to provide security for themselves and their family and to increase their income
levels (Ozsoy, Oksoy and Kozan 2001). The work of Benzing, Chu and Kara (2009) also presented other research
results from African countries. For example Ugandan entrepreneurs are motivated by “making money” (Bewayo
1995). Another research study of entrepreneurs in Kenya and Ghana (Chu, Benzing and McGee 2007) determined
that the strongest two motivators were to increase income and to provide employment to themselves. Finally Roy and
Wheeler (2006) has suggested that microenterprise owners in West Africa were motivated by a desire to satisfy basic
psychological needs – food and shelter in their pursuit of an entrepreneurial opportunity. To summarize this issue
Shane, Locke and Collins (2003) emphasizes the personal and “human” factor of the entrepreneur’s motivation.
What is interesting is that the concept of entrepreneurial motivation is likened to a game where the player is motivated
by personal and human influences. The authors further suggest that a person cannot win a game that they do not play.
In the context of entrepreneurship, this statement suggests that success depends on people’s willingness to become
entrepreneurs.Moreover, because the pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunity is an evolutionary process in which
people select out at many steps along the way, decisions made after the discovery of opportunities - to positively
evaluate opportunities, to pursue resources, and to design the mechanisms of exploitation - also depend on the
willingness of people to ‘‘play’’ the game. In the article they argued that human motivations influence these decisions,
and that variance across people in these motivations will influence who pursues entrepreneurial opportunities, who
assembles resources, and how people undertake the entrepreneurial process. Entrepreneurial motivations are therefore
driven by human agency and propensity to be a player in the business creation process.
3. What Motivates Women Entrepreneurs?
Many women in the world are participating actively in an entrepreneurial journey.However, their participation
is only now starting to gain attention and interest from a diverse range of stakeholders. The number of female
business owners continues to increase on a consistentbasis however,the gender gap in this process is demonstrated
when women’s motives to start or run a business are compared to men’s. The GEM (2010) Report reveals that
women are much more likely to be driven by necessity than men when starting a business.
36 International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, Vol. 3(1), June 2015
The Report further explains that in developing countries, the majority of women who are engaged in
entrepreneurial activity are driven by pure survival - out of necessity rather than opportunity - because there are no
jobs or any other options for income generation. The IDB (2010) also explains that the decisionsto become
entrepreneurs are different for men and women, and most of the push-out factors are specific for women. Barriers
explain partially why women decide to start businesses: (1) necessity based reasons, push out factors, include barriers
in the labour market or need for supplemental income; (2) pull-in factors are opportunity-based and related to
earnings expectations or the desire for more flexibility. Therefore, an important percentage of women enter the
MSME world push out from the labour market and forced by the need to supplement or generate income for their
families. There have been several studies which have investigated the motivations of women entrepreneurs across
different cultures and countries. For example research conducted by Roggenkamp and White (1998) that focused on
nurses who started their own businesses and found that the need for flexibility was a significant motivator to leave a
traditional nursing setting and undertake an entrepreneurial venture on their own. They further stated that the reasons
for women's decisions to start their own businesses include aligning with their values, generating excitement,
developing their leadership skills, providing avenues for self-advancement, and fulfilling lifelong goals of
independence. Coughlin and Thomas, (2002) argue that one of the most universal motivators for women to start
businesses is the need to generate income for themselves and their families. They further suggest that within
developed economies a significant number of women embark on entrepreneurial activity toachieve those things that
the system fails to provide them.
The research of Dhaliwal and Kangis (2006) on the motivations of Asian Women Entrepreneurs in the
United Kingdom suggests that some women's businesses were hobby related and that these women choose roles as
entrepreneurs as an extension of the roles associated with being Asian women or wives. The majority of the women
entrepreneurs had family members in business and trusted on private and family funds to start and grow their
businesses enterprises. The exploratory research by Mcelwee and Riyami (2003) investigated the motivations for
women's entrepreneurship in Oman and the barriers to women's success in this area. The main factors that motivated
women entrepreneurs were enjoyment of the process of entrepreneurship, financial independence and job
satisfaction. The study also demonstrated that women are inclined to define success differently from men, and
women's motivation differs from the motivations of men. They further explain that women appear to be satisfied by
micro-level entrepreneurial activities, aiming for stability rather than growth, and they generally have less access to
external funding than men. Thus, women's businesses tend to be concentrated in service sectors that usually require a
small initial capital outlay and less technical knowledge in order to be successful. Another study undertaken by Naser,
Mohammed and Nuseibeh (2009) identified the factors that motivate women in the United Arab Emirates to become
business entrepreneurs. This study indicated that financial support from the government (especially in the start-up
phase), self-fulfilment, knowledge, skill, experience and spousal relationships were important in motivating women.
While investigating the impact and expectations that family responsibility places on women, Simonin (2006) postulates
that many women start a business because of the autonomy and flexibility that are essential to the fulfilment of their
family obligations. This is also supported by Noble (1986) who argues that men perceive entrepreneurship as a
business decision while women perceive it as an integrating and balancing tool between family and career needs.
The research of Lee (1997) focused on the motivational factors of women entrepreneurs in Singapore with
an analysis of the four psychological needs i.e. achievement, affiliation, autonomy and dominance and their relations
to entrepreneurial aspirations. The findings reveal that the occupational choices of women were influenced by their
psychological needs. In terms of business ownership the main motivational factor was the higher need for dominance
and achievement by some women. Also women who believe that paid employment cannot satisfy their needs would
then look for an alternative source of employment and become entrepreneurs where they have more freedom and
power to chart their destiny. In addition the study also found that family background and life experiences as well as
educational background also played integral roles in their motivation to become entrepreneurs. These various
research studies present an array of the significant motivational factors that propel women entrepreneurs to start
their own business enterprises. There are the push or negative factors that engage women to start their business
enterprises such as necessity, barriers in the labour market or need for supplemental income. However there are
postive or pull factors such as a quest for independence, self empowerment and self development, the need for
freedom and an opportunity to utilize their talents and interests in a productive avenue to generate income for
themselves and their families. The higher degree of pull motivational factors confirms the statements made by Orhan
and Scott (2001) that indicated that individuals become entrepreneurs primarily due to “pull” factors, rather than
“push” factors.
Natasha Ramkissoon-Babwah 37
4. What Motivates Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago?
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Trinidad and Tobago National Report (2012) is a starting point to
dervive an understanding of the motivatations of women entrepreneurs. According to the Report historically in
Trinidad and Tobago women have been less active than men in entrepreneurial behaviour. This trend has continued
into 2012 when 15.5% of men and 11.8% of women in the Adult Population Survey reported being involved in Early
Stage Entrepreneurial Activity. However over the past two decades women in Trinidad and Tobago have become
more involved in starting and operating new businesses. With respect to other gender differences the GEM reported
that other significant differences between male and femaleinvolvement in entrepreneurship are: having the required
knowledge/ skills to start a business and the fear of failure. The GEM datarevealsthatin Trinidadand Tobagomore
females, 15.3%thanmales11% indicated thatfear of failure wouldpreventthem from startingabusiness. In addition the
report also states that fewer females also considered themselves to be equipped in terms of knowledge and skillwhen
startingupbusinesses.
4.1 The Research Process
What has been some of the factors that have motivated women to launch a business enterprise of their own
in Trinidad and Tobago? An empirical component was undertaken where one hundred (100) women entrepreneurs
were equally divided into four groups of twenty five(25) for qualitative group discussions. The participants were
questioned as to their motivations to become an entrepreneur using the theoretical model of the Push and Pull
Concepts and their challenges during their entrepreneurial journey. The women participants were sourced from a
national databse of female entrepreneurs and participants were selected from each of the four geographic zones within
the database – North, South, East and West – to reach the sample size of one hundred women entrepreneurs. During
the focus group discussions the researcher divided the women at random into groups of twenty five and employed a
rapportuer to take notes to assist in the analytical process. In addition each session was electronically recorded and the
media files transferred to an online computer systems for storage. On an average basis the length of each focus group
session was two hours. This focus group method was selected for this process since according to Ryan (2002)
qualitative interviews are more flexible and they allow greater spontaneity and adaptation of the interaction between
the researcher and the study participant. This approach was employed during the discussions since the researcher was
able to use and adapt the open ended questions accordingly within each group under study in order to gain elaborate
and richer responses.
The informality of the focus discussions also yielded a distinctive advantage as suggested by Marshall (2003)
who states that with qualitative methods, the relationship between the researcher and the participant is often less
formal than in quantitative research. Participants have the opportunity to respond elaborately and in greater detail
than is typically the case with quantitative methods. The use of opened-ended questions to the focus groups also
allowed participants the opportunity to respond in their own words, rather than forcing them to choose from fixed
responses, as quantitative methods do. This allowed the researcher to gain information that was meaningful and
culturally salient to the participant, unanticipated by the researcher and rich and explanatory in nature. In terms of the
analytical and presentation framework adopted for data presentation, a matching and referencing paradigm was
employed whereby during the variable factors discussion comments from the qualitative research were refrenced
against the thematic content of the motivational factors of women entrepreneurs as well as the Push and Pull concept.
This process allowed for a high yield of information to transmute into action oriented knowledge.
4.2 Research Findings on The Motivational Factors of Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago
With respect to motivational factors of local entrepreneurs, respondents revealed that the three main reasons
for becoming an entrepreneur were to fulfil their personal goals, to be their own boss with a high level of
independence and to contribute to society. These motivational factors are aligned with achievement based and “pull”
factors as previously discussed in the review on the motivations of women entrepreneurs. In this regard it can be
suggested that the motivational aspirations of female entrepreneurs in the developing country of Trinidad and
Tobago are in line with those of their First World counterparts. In addition, 11 entrepreneurs surveyed cited a profit
orientation as a motivational factor of entrepreneurship which supports the assertions made by economic decision
model of Campbell, (1992). It is also positive to note the greater social interest demonstrated by women entrepreneurs
in the area of contributing to society - 18 responses.
38 International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, Vol. 3(1), June 2015
The creation of a new company was the path they had chosen to achieve this goal. The role of inspirational
models as a motivational factor - 15 responses - is significant for entrepreneurship policy makers as this can provide a
keystone for development. In general these role models are individuals close to those interviewed such as family,
friends and acquaintances. They are rarely entrepreneurs discovered via mass media promotions. It was therefore not
surprising that role models are were more common in locations where SMEs have a strong presence and there exist
environments where geographic proximity and social networks bring successful SME entrepreneurs into closer
contact with inspiriting potential entrepreneurs. As such entrepreneurs that were located in the urban and semi-urban
locations had a higher knowledge/ interaction with more successful entrepreneurs and were capable of learning key
lessons and patterning/ designing their business models. These findings are summarized in Table One as follows:
Table One : The Motivational Factors of Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago
Motivational Factors of Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad & Tobago Response Tabulations
Acquire social status 3
Be like a Friend 4
Be like Parents 5
Be like someone in Media 6
To make profits 11
Contribute to society 18
Family tradition 5
Fullfill personal Goals 23
To be your own boss 25
Total 100
With respect to a situational perspective on the challenges of female entrepreneurship the participants
revealed that there were three major challenges that hampererd their entrepreneurial process and activities. Firstly
there was a knowledge gap in understanding the type and level of resources available to them from the private and
pulic sectors. This diffusion and fragmentation of enabling information can lead to sense of frustration and
demotivation among the entrepreneurs since they can feel they are alone or that there are many “hoops” to jump
before they receive needed resources. The participants cited their second major challenge was the lack of support and
encouragement from their peer networks. They further described the low level of suport from their domestic
partner/ spouse and especially other male family members. This can be as a result of the conditioning of the males in
society and their attitudies towards women who are owning and managing their business enterprise. The third
challenge was the lack of entrepreneurial and management skills to sucessful operate their business enterprises. The
women entrepreneurs stated that they knew that there were gaps in the areas of marketing, cash flow forecasting and
management, developing business plans and providing excellent customer service. This lack of comptencies limited
the growth of their business enterprises and caused a high degree of emontional stress and feelings of inadequacy on
the part of the women entrepreneurs. This is congruent with the findings of the GEM National Report of Trinidad
and Tobago (2012). The women also indicated other areas of concern such as the high rates of rent for start up
business enterprises, the rigid mind-set of lending institutions towards women entrepreneurs and a low level of
support and guidance to bid for public sector contracts.
5. Recommendations to Support Women Entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago
The institutional learning of the International Labour Office ILO (2012), has suggested that women’s
entrepreneurship can be supported with wide-ranging policy frameworks that protect, foster and regulate a business
eco-system for female entrepreneurs. The ILO further states that the configuration of the framework should include
policies to improve women’s access to markets, to improve women’s access to and control over (financial) resources
and policies to strengthen social protection and that enhance social inclusion. In terms of programmes developed to
support women entrepreneurs, the ILO (2012) has stated that the main categories of such initatives include
programmes aimed to assist women in starting up new businesses through entrepreneurial training, and provision of
start-up resources. Other programmes are aimed to support women entrepreneurs with an increased level of technical
assistance in specific sectors to encourage exports or utilization of non-traditional natural resources. The ILO(2012)
further argues that there are some initiatives that focus on promoting change in societal attitudes towards
entrepreneurship, and in particular, women’s engagement in entrepreneurship in the main stream economic sphere of
activity.
Natasha Ramkissoon-Babwah 39
An alternative and exciting approach to support women entrepreneurs is suggested by Amine and Staub
(2009 ) who propose that to support the efforts of female entrepreneurs in the sub-Saharan Africa the tool of social
marketing should be utilized. They have further defined the concept of social marketing as: specifically selected
communication goals and messages that are tailored to promote shifts in beliefs and related attitudes towards women,
work and their enterprises. These proposed changes in beliefs and attitudes are designed to connect at three levels.
In level one they propose strategies in the regulatory environment that are focused on a consistient stream of
promotional activities for women’s political leadership at the highest echelon acting as a catalyst to diffuse changes in
laws to augument the social status of women. These strategies would be established to improve access to capital
(microcredit loans) for the use of women in their business enterprises. The second level proposes another series of
strategies in the normative environment comprising of of large-scale, regional, long-term advertising campaigns to
foster a significant attitude change among men towards their wives and daughters as individuals with the right of self-
determination and as successful entrepreneurs. For the third level they propose strategies in the cognitive and learning
environment that designs and develops a stream of appropriate entrepreneurial and educational training programmes
for girls and women to ignite a spark of interest in the pursuit of the entrepreneurial option and build capacity and
skills in the management of business enterprises. The process of crafting recommendations to support the
entrepreneurial development of women is also guided by the research of Katerina Sarri, Anna Trihopoulou, (2005)
who suggested that women entrepreneurs should not be treated as a monolithic category but instead policies and
programmes to support them should be specific and gender oriented. In this regard specific recommendations to
support women entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago are suggested based on an analysis of their situational context
and challenges as well as their motivational factors. The degree of alignment for the recommendations can also be
mapped against the core motivational factors as expressed by the women entrepreneurs and are presented as follows:
1. Centralization of Entrepreneurial Support Services Information: Women entrepreneurs often have a limited knowledge
about the support mechanisms that are available to provide resources and materials to structure their
entrepreneurial journey. This knowledge gap can act as a motivational barrier and the institutional stakeholders in
this developmental space should collaborate to create a central respository of their support resources with easy
access to nascent and exisiting entrepreneurs. An online channel for archiving and dissemination can be
appropriate as well as a promotional campaign to drive the entrepreneurs to the sites.
2. Cultural Socialization Towards Women In Entrepreneurship:A sustainable strategy must be developed to intergrate
entrepreneurial activities in the educational curriculum from the early primary school stages. This will play a
significant role in cultural sensitivity and acceptance of entrepreneurship as a viable option among the male
population and can lead to a sense of empowerment and a decreased learning curve for prospective female
entrepreneurs. The positive socialization process can also stimulate an increased interest in business enterprise
ownership as opposed to traditional employment.
3. Development of WomenEntrepreneurial Networks: An Entrepreneurial network dedicated to building linkages in the
business enterprise sector would increase the competitiveness of the business enterprises, strengthen existing
successes and share knowledge among women entrepreneurs. The GEM Trinidad and Tobago Report (2012) also
emphasises the importance of networking by suggesting that entrepreneurs require an array of resources to
both establish the business and to keep an establishing business going and expanding. In addition a formal
organization would have the legitimate power and position to have a unified advocacy voice within the sector for
women entrepreneurs. Specific services such as mentoring, business incubation and virtual office support can be
included in the entrepreneurial network.
4. Integration of Gender Dimension in PolicyandLegislation Frameworks: Tailored policy imperatives to support successful
women entrepreneurs can include gender certification on products and services, promotion of gender equality in
order to reduce discrimination in the labour market, and the provision of services to help women make their
businesses more productive and to expand them, for example: access to innovative financial credit products that
work with women specific asset accumulation patterns, improved access to entrepreneurial training in a virtual
learning environment, developing channels for exporting, and the provision childcare services.
40 International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, Vol. 3(1), June 2015
6. Future Research Directions
As a result of this overview of the motivations of women entrepreneurs from an international perspective, a
proposed agenda for future research directions can include an investigation into the impact and contribution of
women entrepreneurs towards economic growth in developing countries so that supporting frameworks can be
developed that are in alignment with the economic growth targets either by sector or geography and resource
availability. Another avenue for future research would be to study the operational configurations of business
enterprises that are managed by female entrepreneurs to determine if there are any gaps in the strategic direction and
implementation of their core business activitities. This can lead to the creation of progress milestones for these
business enterprises as a performance measurement system. Finally, further investigation on the constraint of the
gender gap in entrepreneurship in the developing country context is important and motivational barriers can be
identified and policy/ programmes developed to break down these barriers which can lead to an increase in the supply
of women entrepreneurs.
7. Conclusion
The pheonomea of women entreprenerus is one whose time has come and provides an arena to allow these
entrepreneurs to fullfill their potential and channel their talents into sustainable business enterprises. Michelle
Bachelet, Executive Director of U.N. Women (2011) has stated that she has seen what women, often in the toughest
circumstances, can achieve for their families and societies if they are given the opportunity. The strength, industry and
wisdom of women remain humanity’s greatest untapped resource she states and further explains that society cannot
afford to wait another 100 years to unlock women’s potential in the field of business enterprise ownership. This study
has provided insights into the motivational factors of women entrepreneurs in the developing country of Trinidad and
Tobago and has also investigated the challenges that these women face in their entrepreneurial journeys. The
motivational factors were revealed to be in alignment with the pull concept as espoused by Gilad and Levine (1986)
and the intervention areas included the centralization of entrepreneurial support services information, cultural
socialization towards women in entrepreneurship, development of women entrepreneurial networks, and integration
of a gender dimension in policy and legislation frameworks. It is envisioned that these recommendations would be a
viable platform to unleash a new wave of successful women entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago.
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