Introduction
Entrepreneurship is highly embraced in the contemporary competitive world. Its input to the economy is acknowledged worldwide (Fielden 2010). In Pakistan, especially in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachiit, it is unfortunate to note that entrepreneurship is considered a male-gendered concept (Hafizullah, Manzoor, Hussain, & Farooq 2012). Women are highly disadvantaged in the cities owing to their gender and social-cultural factors. Discrimination and prejudice against women are not only observed in the professional fields but also in the entrepreneurial sector (Bukhari 2013). As such, women entrepreneurs in the cities undergo numerous challenges.
There is no doubt that economies in the four cities could be better if women were given the same opportunities as their male counterparts (Haq & Safavian 2013). In this research paper, the prospects and problems faced by female entrepreneurs in the four cities are highlighted. The research is significant because it will seek to understand the issues faced by female entrepreneurs in a male-dominated society.
Literature review
A number of literature reviews have been documented on prospects and problems faced by women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. In this research, several literature were utilized. Their reliability had to be checked to ensure that they were scholarly. Evaluating the reliability of these sources involved a number of processes and one of them was to look at whether the article or source is peer-reviewed or not.
Muhammad notes that the various problems that have always limited the role of women entrepreneurs in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachiit can be classified into social-cultural problems, entrepreneurial problems, and technical problems (Muhammad 2012).
In a study, it was noted that in Peshawar and Lahore cities female entrepreneurs continue to experience serious social and personal issues such as lack of skill and knowledge, lack of supportive communities, lack of education, and unfavorable market conditions (Rehman & Roomi 2012). On the other hand, Shahid asserts that the major problems affecting women in Pakistani cities are gender-based prejudice, lack of family support, and lack of enough time to manage businesses due to family responsibilities (Shahid 2010).
Another research conducted in Karachi revealed that one of the biggest business problems faced by female entrepreneurs in Pakistan is getting loan services to support their businesses (Mahmood 2011). Mahmood alleges that the most reliable source of capital for female entrepreneurs in the city of Islamabad is either personal savings or support from family members and friends. Other literature acknowledges that common entrepreneurial problems faced by women in Pakistan are marketing problems and lack enough knowledge on how to employ competent workers to help run the businesses.
In another literature, the author maintains that technical problems are among the biggest problems affecting the role of Pakistani women in business affairs (Patel 2010). Some of the common technical issues facing female entrepreneurs in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachiit are shortage of working capital, un-skilled workforce, limited raw materials, and lack of relevant business skills and knowledge.
Another literature acknowledges that there are various prospects that should be enhanced to spur female entrepreneurship in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachiit (Zahra 2013). The factors are aid from the government, improving women’s access to financial resources, creating awareness in society to reduce gender prejudice, and provision of ready markets for various products and commodities. The author believes that Pakistani female entrepreneurs should champion the above factors.
Methodology
Data collection methods
For this study, the data will be collected through field research. The method entails acquiring public data from financial and government institutions, face-to-face interviews, and questionnaires. The institutions will provide the researchers with crucial information such as the present and the past financial records about women entrepreneurs in the four Pakistani cities. The face-to-face interview will require a participant to question women in the four cities in person to collect their personal views.
During the interview, the contributors will be asked to detail the challenges affecting their business initiatives. The questions used during the interviews will be open-ended. Equally, questionnaires will be used to collect private information from the participants.
Sampling technique
The study will be conducted using systematic random sampling techniques. Systematic random sampling techniques operate using the same approach as conventional random sampling. As such, the p variables and confidence variables are evaluated using the same approach. Nevertheless, systematic random sampling excludes detached random selection of each sample. The technique will be appropriate for this research because it will enable the researchers to choose large samples from a long list of women in the four cities. Three hundred female entrepreneurs will be selected from the cities of Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, and Lahore for the study.
A systematic sampling of 30 data points will be used within the population whereby every 10th data point will be observed. During the sampling process, certain steps must be adhered to for accurate outcomes. The researchers should evaluate the sampling interval, decide on a random start between unity and sampling interval, and continually sum up the sampling interval to choose subsequent samples. Based on the above illustration, it is apparent that systematic random sampling is the most preferable approach for the research owing to its simplicity and the nature of the study.
Findings
The findings of the study are expected to show how female entrepreneurs in Pakistan continue to face various problems and prospects in their attempts to enter the male-dominated business environment. As it would be observed, some of the factors contributing to these discriminations against female entrepreneurs are things such as the underestimated status of women in society and the continued discouragement of female leadership in most regions (Tambunan 2009). The problems observed in the regions researched include entrepreneurial problems, social/personal problems, and technical problems.
Conclusion
As it would be revealed in this study, female entrepreneurs in modern Pakistan do face many barriers. The above barriers hinder their unwavering efforts and determination to take part in the country’s competitive economy. Although numerous researches have been conducted to identify these challenges and how to reduce them, it should be noted that more researches are still needed to determine the effects of and the effectiveness of the measures put in place to tackle the issues.
It is apparent that women in Pakistan and other regions of the world can do better in helping to develop the economy if challenges such as prejudice, lack of finance, and security are addressed (Rome 2013). In this regard, all the relevant authorities should note that it is time female entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to exercise their economic potential through business and other motivating activities in society.
References
Bukhari, Y 2013, ‘Gender Discrimination: A myth or truth Women status in Pakistan’. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, vol. 8 no.2, pp. 88-97.
Fielden, S 2010, International research handbook on successful women entrepreneurs. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.
Hafizullah, A, Manzoor, S, Hussain, M, & Farooq, M 2012, ‘Problems faced by Women entrepreneurs in Kohat city of Peshawar’, International Journal of Human Resource Studies, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 45-49.
Haq, A., & Safavian, M 2013, Are Pakistan’s women entrepreneurs being served by the microfinance sector? The World Bank, Washington, D. C.
Mahmood, S 2011, ‘Microfinance and women entrepreneurs in Pakistan’, International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 265-274.
Muhammad, S 2012. ‘Women empowerment and microfinance: A case study of Pakistan’. African Journal of Business Management, vol. 6 no.22, pp. 67-89.
Patel, R 2010. Gender equality and women’s empowerment in Pakistan, Oxford University Press, Karachi.
Rehman, S., & Roomi, M 2012, ‘Gender and work-life balance: a phenomenological study of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan’. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 19(2), 209-228. vol. 19 no.2, pp. 209-228.
Roomi, 2013, ‘Entrepreneurial capital, social values and Islamic traditions: Exploring the growth of women-owned enterprises in Pakistan’. International Small Business Journal, 31(2), 175-191. Vol. 31 no.2, pp. 175-191.
Shahid, 2010. Silent voices, untold stories: women domestic workers in Pakistan and their struggle for empowerment. Oxford University Press, Karachi.
Tambunan, T 2009, SMEs in Asian developing countries, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, England.
Zahra, N 2013, ‘Implications of Demographic Antecedents in Determining the Motivational Drives among Women Entrepreneurs: A Case Study of Women Entrepreneurs Venturing in Lahore, Pakistan’, Asian Journal of Business Management, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 56-60.