Women entrepreneurs in Kedah : a study on motives and Barriers / Aemillyawaty Abas ... [et al.]

A decision to start a business is one, which involves very high risk. The risks are inherent regardless of the gender of the entrepreneur. There are an increasing number of women entrepreneurs in the country and these women are in business due to strong motivational factors. Hence this paper presents findings of a research study designed to investigate the profile, motives of start-up and barriers faced by women small-medium entrepreneurs in the Kedah area, specifically Sungai Petani, Kulim, Alor Star and Langkawi. In this study, it is found that the top two reasons most women start their business are the desire to improve their family’s financial condition and to pursue their interest in running a business. Whereas the major barrier these women had to face is financial one. The financial barrier is the biggest during their start-up stage of their business. Reasons for the barrier are bureaucracy and lack of opportunities in getting financial aid from financial institutions. The information provided in this study is hoped to provide an in-sight in the condition of women small-medium entrepreneurs in Kedah. Additionally, we hope this information is for relevant government and non-government agencies to provide necessary assistance to this group of entrepreneurs.