Women entrepreneurship stewardship via Shared workspaces: Challenges and Growth in the Textile sector

Abstract

Women entrepreneurs generally have to face plenty of challenges. This study provides deeper insights into the challenges that the women entrepreneurs in textile industry face in Pakistan and the kind of support that is required by the women entrepreneurs in order to grow their businesses through a shared workspace (SWW). In order to achieve the objectives of the study, qualitative research has been carried out and a total of 14 interviews have been conducted from women entrepreneurs operating in the textile industry. The study concludes that women entrepreneurs in the textile industry have to face challenges in various forms which include financial challenge, loans related challenges, registration challenges, external challenges, internal business challenges, social challenges and networking challenges with external challenges being the most dominant amongst these. These challenges act as a hurdle in the pathway of success of these entrepreneurs and hampers their growth in the competitive market. A shared workspace in this regard tends to be a suitable option for the women entrepreneurs which provides support to the women entrepreneurs in the form of financial support, non-financial support (trainings, business growth support, workshops, mentoring, technological support, networking, marketing, and advertisement support), and has all the basic suitable facilities including business center, prayer room, day care, and a safe and healthy environment. Moreover, flexible, or multiple payment options should be available for the women entrepreneurs from which they can opt for. Results indicate that non-financial support is the most integral form of support that needs to be offered by SWWs which reflects that SWWs should have a keen focus on it for enhancing women participation in SWWs.