Social Capital and Survivability of Women-Owned Enterprises: The Case of Malaysian Women Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Women-owned enterprise is one of the most important components for the success and development of a country where women entrepreneurs have emerged as the fastest growing sector of entrepreneurship worldwide. It has garnered the attention of numerous academics in recent years as women can make a substantial contribution to economic development and entrepreneurial activities. Thus, this shows that entrepreneurship is the best strategy to assist in improving the economy, whether for individuals, families, local, communities, or the country. However, the percentage of women who choose to pursue an entrepreneurial career is lower than men. Men entrepreneurs outnumber women entrepreneurs since men are responsible for the main household income while women are needed to establish work-life balance when managing both business and family. In discussing this issue, women entrepreneurs were perceived as subordinate to men because of the persistence of gender inequality in today’s environment which led to poor access to resources in supporting their business. Therefore, the objective of this article is to investigate the influence of formal and informal social capital on the development and survivability of women-owned enterprises in Malaysia. The study will utilize qualitative method in which informants from Kelantan will be interviewed. The finding of this study is expected to be useful in enriching the understanding of women entrepreneurs and their enterprise survival.