Motivational Factors Influencing Women's Entrepreneurial Intentions: Evidence from Dakshina Kannada

Author

Nanditha Sunil, Dr. Shivashankar Bhatt


Abstract

 Purpose. Women in India start businesses at a fraction of the rate men do, even in districts where they are as educated and as economically active. This paper asks which motivational factors actually shape the entrepreneurial intention of women in Dakshina Kannada, a coastal Karnataka district with high female literacy and a long trading history, and how strongly each one matters. Design and method. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Data were gathered from 214 women across the Mangaluru, Bantwal, Puttur, Belthangady and Moodbidri taluks through a structured questionnaire administered between June and August 2026. Respondents were reached through purposive and snowball sampling from self-help group registers, skill-development centres, postgraduate management classrooms and two district-level women entrepreneurs' associations. Six motivational constructs drawn from the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the push-pull tradition were measured on five-point Likert scales. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. Findings. The six factors together explained 61.2 per cent of the variance in entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy carried the largest weight, followed by need for achievement, desire for autonomy and family support. Economic necessity did not emerge as a significant predictor, and institutional or financial support fell just short of significance. Women from business families reported significantly stronger intention than those without such a background. Implications. For this sample, entrepreneurship is a chosen path rather than a fallback. Interventions that build confidence and competence are likely to move the needle further than subsidy announcements alone, and awareness of existing support schemes appears to be the weaker link rather than their design.



Keywords

women entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial intention, motivation, push and pull factors, self-efficacy, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka



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References


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