Are Motivations behind Women Entrepreneurship is Identical in Metros and Smaller Cities of Developing Countries? A Study on Dhaka and Khulna City of Bangladesh

Abstract

This study focuses on the factors that motivate the female entrepreneurs in metros and small cities of a developing country. Explorative and quantitative study was carried out to detect the exact scenario in the metro city of Dhaka and relatively smaller yet important city of Khulna. Women entrepreneurs of Dhaka city showed higher degree of motivations behind their entrepreneurial venturing in the motivating factors of personal traits, macro environment, education and training, financing, business infrastructure and inputs, investment security and safeguards, scope for internationalization, economic freedom, legislation, family, and innovation and creativity whereas women entrepreneurs of Khulna city tend to show higher importance on social setup, job and profession, easiness of entry and exit, network and management skills. The t-test result shows that there is no difference between women entrepreneurs of Dhaka and Khulna on business infrastructure and inputs, investment security and safeguards, legislation, easiness of entry and exit, and network, whereas, there is a difference between women entrepreneurs of Dhaka and Khulna on social set-up, personal traits, macro environment, education and training, financing, scope for internationalization, economic freedom, job and profession, family, and innovation & creativity.