Digital entrepreneurship among Egyptian women: autonomy, experience and community

Abstract

Purpose

Given the remarkable increase in entrepreneurial activities initiated by women in the Egyptian context in addition to the scarcity of empirical studies on digital self-employment there, the authors of the present paper aim to identify what motivates women to engage in digital entrepreneurship, and to identify how those women establish their digital entrepreneurial activities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employed a qualitative research method through semi-structured interviews with 30 women entrepreneurs who own and manage digital businesses. Thematic analysis was subsequently used to determine the main ideas in the transcripts.

Findings

The authors have found that enjoying absolute independence, securing more time for family, guaranteeing an independent source of income in addition to the ease of accessing extensive online markets are the main motives behind the engagement of women in the Egyptian context in digital entrepreneurship activities. Moreover, the authors have also asserted that the minimal training and government support stimulate women entrepreneurs there to start and continue their digital business activities informally.

Originality/value

This paper contributes by filling a gap in entrepreneurship studies in which empirical studies on establishing and managing digital entrepreneurship among women in developing economies has been limited so far.