Empowering Women: Unveiling the Motivations of Self-Employed Women in Pakistan

Nasreen Aslam Shah; Faisal Hashmi; Asma Sadaf

doi:10.52633/jemi.v5i3.335

Authors

Dr. Nasreen Aslam Shah Centre of Excellence for Women Studies and Social Work Department, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan Author
Faisal Hashmi Women’s Studies, University of Karachi, Pakistan. Author
Asma Sadaf University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52633/jemi.v5i3.335

Keywords:

Self-Employed Women, Motivational Factors, Poverty, Gender Wage Gap, Economic Instability

Abstract

Women's participation in self-employment has been a hot topic for some time in the contemporary world. Many motivating factors compel women to engage in income-generating activities in developed, developing, and underdeveloped countries. Self-employment is a way through which a person can get out of unemployment and earn for his/her needs. The purpose of this study is to highlight the main motivating factors that compel women to become self-employed. The purpose of this study is to investigate in depth the underlying factors that motivate women to become self-employed. The researchers have used a non-probability purposive sampling method to collect the data. For this research, respondents were selected from 18 towns in Karachi. About 50 self-employed women from each town were interviewed for data collection. The results of this research show that unemployment, poverty, high rate of inflation, and non-availability of basic necessities of life are the main factors for women to enter self-employment. Due to a lack of money, women are not able to meet the needs of themselves and their families. They barely spend their time on the very limited income of their counterparts. They are unable to provide their families with the basic necessities of life such as nutritious food, health, and education. The results showed that the most important motivating factor for women to enter self-employment is unemployment. However, employed women have the following major motivating factors that push them towards self-employment. Disagreement with management, lack of advancement opportunities, lack of financial rewards, harassment, working hours, domestic responsibilities, nepotism, favoritism, gender wage gap, workload, etc.

Author Biographies

Dr. Nasreen Aslam Shah, Centre of Excellence for Women Studies and Social Work Department, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan

Ex. Dean of Social Sciences and Director of Centre of Excellence for Women Studies and Social Work Department, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.
Faisal Hashmi, Women’s Studies, University of Karachi, Pakistan.

PhD Scholar, Women’s Studies, University of Karachi, Pakistan.
Asma Sadaf, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.

University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.

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