| dc.description.abstract | Along with the development of world economy, more and more women
become self-employed. Women entrepreneurship is recognized as an important tool in
empowering women. At the grassroot level, women entrepreneurs in micro-enterprises
help to alleviate poverty, create more jobs to the poor and minority as well as enhance the
social well-being. This study was designed to delineate the characteristics of womenowned micro-enterprises. It also discovered the motivations that drive women into
entrepreneurship as well as challenges hindering them from becoming successful
entrepreneurs. A sample of 100 women entrepreneurs who are operating microenterprises in Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam was taken for the study using convenient
sampling method followed by snowball techniques. A questionnaire was designed in both
open and closed ended along with likert scale questions. Moreover, participant
observation and clarifying questions were also applied in order to get more insights from
the respondents. After collected, data were analyzed using simple statistical techniques
and descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviations.
The results found in this study show that generating income, becoming own
boss, being closer to family are important motivations for women to become selfemployed. It also indicated that competition and weak economy posed a lot of challenges
toward women. Comparisons among group of respondents show the difference in
motivations and performances of group with different levels of education. Based on the
major findings, recommendations were made toward policy makers, women-supported
programs and organizations. | en_US |
