Reducing Barriers to Female Entrepreneurship in Oman: Does Family Matter?

Purpose
Previous research has found that family characteristics influence an offspring’s entrepreneurial potential and perception of the barriers to entrepreneurship. This research extends this proposition to women in Oman to determine whether family income, entrepreneurship/business experience and family size influences women’s perception of barriers to entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on primary data that was collected through a structured questionnaire from 123 female respondents at an Omani private university. The data was analysed using PCA, correlation and regression analysis to determine the influence of the family characteristic on the perception of barriers to entrepreneurship.

Findings
The findings concluded that the three family characteristics being tested were not able to predict a change in the perception of barriers to entrepreneurship. This contradicts previous research conducted in Western contexts and highlights potential weakness in family support for female entrepreneurship in Oman.

Originality
This research addresses the paucity of studies about female entrepreneurship in developing countries. The results challenge some of the extant findings in the literature, thus enriching the current perspectives on female entrepreneurship and the impact of Omani family characteristics, in terms of income, economic background, and family size, on the perception of barriers that hinder entrepreneurship among female students.