Third Gender Entrepreneurs and Success: A Systematic Literature Review

Authored by Paaryveanthan Vellasamy under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Firdause Bin Md Fadzil at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), this systematic literature review synthesizes regional scholarship on third-gender and transgender entrepreneurship to map how marginalized individuals navigate self-employment in Malaysia and Asia. The paper categorizes existing literature into seven thematic areas—covering local socio-cultural dynamics, legal and administrative barriers, Asian trans business practices, stigma and emancipatory entrepreneurship, multidimensional success metrics, and institutional support systems. It demonstrates how structural challenges, such as the lack of legal gender recognition, criminalization under state Syariah laws, and administrative obstacles with MyKad and business registration, drive mak nyah individuals away from discriminatory formal workplaces and into self-employment as a primary pathway for economic survival and autonomy. Furthermore, the study redefines business success beyond standard financial metrics to include critical non-financial dimensions like dignity, customer respect, personal fulfillment, and community empowerment. Ultimately, the review identifies primary research gaps in the field: an absence of qualitative phenomenological case studies on successful, legally registered third-gender entrepreneurs in Malaysia, and a lack of empirical evaluation on whether national micro-finance infrastructure (such as TEKUN, AIM, and MARA) is practically accessible to third-gender business owners.