Abstract:

Ethnic minority women entrepreneurs (EMW) remain underrepresented in Scotland’s entrepreneurial landscape despite growing recognition of the importance of ethnic minority entrepreneurship. Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation highlights entrepreneurship as central to economic growth, yet only 3.5% of companies are led by EMW, significantly below the UK average (Scottish Government, 2022). Existing research on ethnic minority entrepreneurship in the UK has often treated ethnicity and gender separately, with limited focus on Scotland.
This paper addresses this gap by examining how gender and ethnicity intersect to shape the entrepreneurial experiences of ethnic minority women in Scotland. The study draws on culturalist, structuralist, and mixed embeddedness perspectives to explore how social networks, discrimination, and institutional contexts influence entrepreneurship. Using a qualitative approach and semi-structured interviews with ethnic minority women entrepreneurs across Scotland, this research explores their lived experiences, including motivations, challenges, and survival strategies and any newly emerged themes. The outcomes contributing to knowledge of EMW entrepreneurship and informing policies and support mechanisms.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Entrepreneurship

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Prof Mohammed