Psycho-attitudinal features: a study of female entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate psycho-attitudinal features in female entrepreneurs participating in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Saudi Arabia, using the Big Five model of personality traits and risk propensity. These attitudes, further grouped into three broad categories, namely, fixed, moderate and growth-oriented mindsets, are used to illustrate the collective impact of attitude over the entrepreneurial process.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is a quantitative study, using a survey to registered business owners and entrepreneurs operating in micro, small and medium businesses in Riyadh, Makkah and Eastern Province, three major administration areas of Saudi Arabia. Survey distribution was through the Chamber of Commerce located in each city. In total, 701 questionnaires were collected with 232 completed responses suitable for use in the study’s empirical findings. The overall response rate was 33 per cent.

Findings

The paper provides practical insights into gender-specific attitudes, including reported variance over the entrepreneurial process. It shows that attitude is an equally predominant feature for both genders through all business stages, with female entrepreneurs reporting a slightly higher growth-oriented attitude relative to their male counterparts. Overall, significant differences were noted between gender and business stages for five of the six-attitudinal growth subscales. From a policy perspective, noting the country’s plan for economic reform and desire for greater participation by women, there are important questions that arise concerning the impact of incentive devices and policy measures.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this study is in the number of women participants, which was small. As participation rates for women rise, there is a good opportunity for future analysis to extend this current study’s findings.

Practical implications

The research uses the Big Five model and risk propensity to explore the important role of attitude in female entrepreneurs. Noting the moderating influence of factors in the macro-environment and the pervasive impact of social norms on women, this study flags some implications for government and policymakers in formulating supportive policies to enable greater uptake by women entrepreneurs with growth-oriented mindsets.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on the role of gender-specific attitudes through the business stages. This paper presents original research on the attitudes of women in the context of Arabic society.

Citation

Sabri, M.S. and Thomas, K. (2019), "Psycho-attitudinal features: a study of female entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia", International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 459-480. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-02-2019-0036