Purpose Despite research acknowledging the importance of culture in entrepreneurship, less attention has been given to its impact on the growth aspirations of Married Women Entrepreneurs (MWEs) in developing country contexts. Unlike prior studies that draw on more narrowly defined measures of business growth, it is suggested that most MWEs will have business growth ambitions, but marriage will combine with cultural and religious factors to change the nature of such ambitions. An extension of the 5Ms framework, incorporating insights from New Institutional Theory, is used to consider how informal institutions, especially cultural and marital norms, influence growth ambitions, contextualising them in a non-Western setting – Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from 280 MWEs from Kaduna state were collected through online and manual methods of distribution. Regression analysis examined the links between culture, as manifested through gender roles and religious influences, and a variety of potential measures of business growth ambitions. Findings MWEs wish to grow their businesses by acquiring management skills and deploying more effective strategies, but are restricted by gender roles and religion. Many MWEs require their husbands' approval to launch and grow their business and are unaware of government support available. Support is more commonly sought from religious institutions. Social implications Government support could be more effective if facilitated through religious organisations, as these are often trusted and accessible platforms. Culture, while sometimes restraining the business growth ambitions of MWEs, can also offer solutions through culturally aligned, faith-based initiatives that support and encourage entrepreneurial growth ambitions. Originality/value The separate attention to marriage allows a more nuanced understanding of how culture may alter the nature of MWEs' growth aspirations in a patriarchal and religiously divided society.
Gideon et al. (Mon,) studied this question.