AI Insight
This study examined the motivations of 60 Israeli women entrepreneurs who created ventures specifically addressing women's needs. Through qualitative interviews and content analysis, researchers identified three interconnected categories of motivations: personal drivers such as lived experience and autonomy, relational drivers including family and role models, and ecosystem drivers like recognition of unmet societal needs and institutional support. These findings led to the development of the Triple-Driver Framework of Women's Entrepreneurship, which provides an empirically validated model for understanding what motivates women to start women-centered businesses.
Why it matters
The framework offers policymakers and support organizations concrete guidance on how to better foster women's entrepreneurship by addressing personal, relational, and systemic factors. For women entrepreneurs themselves, understanding these motivational drivers can help them more intentionally develop and direct their ventures.
Understand the Science
IntroductionWomen’s entrepreneurship has received increasing scholarly attention in recent years; however, research has largely overlooked women entrepreneurs whose ventures are specifically dedicated to addressing the needs of other women. Existing conceptualizations of women’s entrepreneurial motivations are primarily theoretical and have not been extensively validated using empirical data.This study aimed to explore the motivations of women entrepreneurs who established ventures addressing women’s needs and to develop an empirically grounded framework for understanding these motivations.MethodsA qualitative design was employed, involving in-depth semi-structured interviews with 60 Israeli women entrepreneurs. Data were analyzed using explanatory content analysis, guided by the competency-based framework.ResultsThe findings resulted in the development of the Triple-Driver Framework of Women’s Entrepreneurship, comprising three interrelated domains: personal drivers (e.g., lived experience and personal passion, justice-oriented values, autonomy), relational drivers (family and friends, role models), and ecosystem drivers (recognition of unmet societal needs, institutional support).DiscussionThis study advances the literature by proposing an empirically grounded framework that broadens the theoretical understanding of women-centered entrepreneurship. The findings offer practical implications for policymakers and organizations seeking to foster women’s entrepreneurship and provide a foundation for future quantitative validation and cross-cultural research. For policymakers and organizations seeking to support women’s entrepreneurship, the Triple-Driver Framework provides a roadmap for understanding the personal, relational, and ecosystem-level pathways through which women are motivated to initiate and develop ventures. This understanding can inform the development of support efforts that are better aligned with women entrepreneurs’ motivations. For women entrepreneurs themselves, recognizing these motivational drivers may provide a clearer understanding of the factors shaping their entrepreneurial actions, helping them more intentionally define, direct, and develop their initiatives.