The Current State and Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan Economy

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the current state and development of women’s entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan, which has a significant impact on the sustainable development of business structures. Therefore, in recent years, in the COVID-19 pandemic context, more and more attention has been paid to empowering small and medium-sized enterprises led by women, but in many low-income countries, women entrepreneurs still face significant barriers that do not exist when men are engaged in business. The analysis revealed that in practice, despite the organic changes introduced in COVID-19 pandemic conditions, women’s interest in the entrepreneurial activity organization is increasing every year from the point of view of the formation of the business process culture. The analysis identified the main reasons why women go into business: the desire for financial independence, the desire to realize their business idea, and the opportunity to combine work, family, and entertainment. Consequently, the state institution is actively pursuing a policy to reduce gender inequality, including in the business environment of Kazakhstan. The results of the study confirm that small and medium- sized business support institutions are interested in increasing women’s business, regardless of geographical location (city and village). Statistical analysis shows that the largest percentage of women entrepreneurs in wholesale and retail trade, the smallest percentage of women entrepreneurs is observed in the field of public administration and defense. To increase the business activity of women’s entrepreneurship, recommendations were developed for the formation and creation of a Unified National information Base on the development of women’s entrepreneurship.