The intersection of institutional complexity and contextualisation in women entrepreneurship

TY - JOUR

T1 - The intersection of institutional complexity and contextualisation in women entrepreneurship

AU - Mahmood, Samia

AU - Farooqi, Seemab

N1 - Copyright: © Emerald Publishing Limited.

PY - 2026/6/10

Y1 - 2026/6/10

N2 - Purpose: This study investigates how regulatory, normative and cognitive systems intertwine and influence women's entrepreneurial activities in Pakistan. It employs a gender-sensitive lens to examine this complex interplay, focusing on women entrepreneurs who are clients of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Methodology: The research methodology combined document analysis and semi-structured interviews with fifty women entrepreneurs associated with MFIs. A multi-perspective approach contextualised gender and entrepreneurship within Pakistan's institutional environment. Findings: The findings show that despite gender equality efforts, disparities persist in property rights, workforce participation and political representation. While regulatory initiatives, such as microfinance schemes, support women entrepreneurs, their effectiveness depends on concurrent shifts in cognitive and normative institutions. MFIs emerge not just as credit providers but as institutional mediators that engage families address normative barriers and build cognitive capacity through community outreach and education. This demonstrates how regulatory, normative and cognitive pillars function interdependently rather than separately in shaping women's entrepreneurial experiences. Practical Implications: Policymakers should design inclusive policies that address regulatory, normative and cognitive dimensions simultaneously, incorporating education, skills development and societal norms. This multi-dimensional approach can support women entrepreneurs in navigating institutional barriers and accessing entrepreneurial opportunities. Originality: The study extends Scott's institutional framework by specifying the mechanisms through which institutional pillars interact in patriarchal contexts, demonstrating that regulatory access requires simultaneous normative alignment and cognitive development. It reconceptualises MFIs as institutional mediators operating across all three pillars and advances gendered entrepreneurship theory by showing women's agency as adaptive negotiation within existing institutional structures.

AB - Purpose: This study investigates how regulatory, normative and cognitive systems intertwine and influence women's entrepreneurial activities in Pakistan. It employs a gender-sensitive lens to examine this complex interplay, focusing on women entrepreneurs who are clients of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Methodology: The research methodology combined document analysis and semi-structured interviews with fifty women entrepreneurs associated with MFIs. A multi-perspective approach contextualised gender and entrepreneurship within Pakistan's institutional environment. Findings: The findings show that despite gender equality efforts, disparities persist in property rights, workforce participation and political representation. While regulatory initiatives, such as microfinance schemes, support women entrepreneurs, their effectiveness depends on concurrent shifts in cognitive and normative institutions. MFIs emerge not just as credit providers but as institutional mediators that engage families address normative barriers and build cognitive capacity through community outreach and education. This demonstrates how regulatory, normative and cognitive pillars function interdependently rather than separately in shaping women's entrepreneurial experiences. Practical Implications: Policymakers should design inclusive policies that address regulatory, normative and cognitive dimensions simultaneously, incorporating education, skills development and societal norms. This multi-dimensional approach can support women entrepreneurs in navigating institutional barriers and accessing entrepreneurial opportunities. Originality: The study extends Scott's institutional framework by specifying the mechanisms through which institutional pillars interact in patriarchal contexts, demonstrating that regulatory access requires simultaneous normative alignment and cognitive development. It reconceptualises MFIs as institutional mediators operating across all three pillars and advances gendered entrepreneurship theory by showing women's agency as adaptive negotiation within existing institutional structures.

KW - Women entrepreneurs

KW - Microfinance institutions

KW - Regulatory

KW - Normative

KW - Cognitive institutions

KW - Pakistan

U2 - 10.1108/IJEBR-09-2022-0788

DO - 10.1108/IJEBR-09-2022-0788

M3 - Article

SN - 1355-2554

VL - 32

SP - 1890

EP - 1911

JO - International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research (IJEBR)

JF - International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research (IJEBR)

IS - 7

ER -