The Motivations of Women Entrepreneurs in the Tourism Industry

Abstract

Women’s entrepreneurship is not just an economic issue; it is seen as an important issue that includes gender equality, democracy, family life quality and social welfare. This study is an effort to specify the motivations of women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry. The study was carried out using a field research method. The questionnaire technique was used in the data collection. The data were collected from women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry in Çeşme, İzmir, and the number of the analyzed data was 120. The entrepreneurial motivations of women are composed of economic expectations (push factors) and psycho-social expectations (pull factors). Psycho-social motivations in women’s entrepreneurship are higher than economic motivations and the effect of these motivations differs in accordance with the women’s demographical features. It has been seen that an increase in the age and education of women in hospitality work increases their psychosocial motivation. The result of the study is expected to guide the non-governmental organizations and the institutions supporting women’s entrepreneurship.

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship
• Women Entrepreneurs
• Entrepreneurship Motivations
• Tourism Entrepreneurship

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