The impact of the 'No Choice Option' on the performance of women-owned businesses in patriarchal societies

Bridget Nneka Irene, Joan Lockyer, Cherisse Hoyte, Sunita Dewitt and Razieh Sadraei

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2025, vol. 21, issue 1, 103-133

Abstract: The female' underperformance' discourse is a well-established and often disputed notion in entrepreneurship research. This paper seeks to challenge performance measures and re-evaluate the association between gender and business performance using non-conventional performance indicators. This paper uses the Theory of Planned Behaviour and patriarchy as the theoretical frameworks, and Feminist Poststructuralist Discourse Analysis (FPDA) as the method to critically evaluate the association between choice intentions and performance in the context of women-owned businesses in a patriarchal society such as Nigeria, where often success is not required, expected nor welcomed. The data drawn from 100 women entrepreneurs found that 'no choice' or 'forced choice' impacted women's entrepreneurial intentions and, consequently, their business performance. This paper develops a critical analysis of the association between the 'No Choice Option' and the underperformance of women-owned businesses. This association can explain the high failure rates of women-owned businesses in Nigeria.

Keywords: gender; entrepreneurial intentions; patriarchy; underperformance; theory of planned behaviour. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:wremsd:v:21:y:2025:i:1:p:103-133

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