Impact of Formal Networks on Women Entrepreneurship in Pakistan

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of formal networks on women entrepreneurial performance in Pakistan. The prevailing environment of building formal networks along with their importance has also been discussed. The problems faced by women entrepreneurs in building formal networks and the role performed by reputable institutes in networking have been inspected in detail. The paper also explores the concept of women entrepreneurship in Islamic perspective by citing verses from the Holy Qur’ān; it also discusses the famous Muslim Entrepreneurs in Islam. The study employed a research design where self-administrative questionnaires were used to collect data from two groups of women entrepreneurs; Registered and Non- Registered. The Registered members were selected from the list provided by seven running women-led chambers ofcommerce and industries of Pakistan, whereas, the non-registered members were selected from the groups on Facebook. The quantitative method of research has been employed using a sample size of 506, which was derived using a simple random sampling. The Multiple Regression analysis reveals that formal networks have a significant impact on women entrepreneurial performance on both the groups. Furthermore; the history ofIslam reveals that there are no religious barriers in Islam, which restrict women not to choose entrepreneurship or carry out entrepreneurial activities. Suggestions have been given to create environment of building formal networks for both registered as well as non-registered women entrepreneurs