Back Issues 11-20

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN WOMEN’S PERCEIVED
EMPOWERMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY ORIENTATION OF WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SRI LANKA: MODERATING EFFECT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL

Kalpana R. Ambepitiya*
Ph.D. Candidate, School of Management
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka
*Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Yongqiang Gao
Ph.D. & Professor, School of Management
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

Abstract

Empowering women engaged in business can prove to be a challenge, but it provides an opportunity to transit to more sustainable business practices that can contribute signifi-cantly towards human well- being. It also bridges the gender gap, making possible the realization of women’s enormous potential, thereby helping to reduce inequalities in the world. The positive influence of women’s empowerment, by enhancing their psycho-logical capacity, has enabled women to step boldly into different fields. It is essential to measure how the association between women’s empowerment and sustainable business practices is influenced by their psychological capacity. However, in Sri Lanka, few studies have been conducted on the sustainable practices of women entrepreneurs. Therefore, this study fills the gap in literature by comprehensively exploring the asso-ciation between women’s perceived empowerment and women’s sustainable entrepre-neurship. Drawing on a sample of 230 women entrepreneurs belonging to small, medi-um and large businesses in Sri Lanka, we find that women’s entrepreneurship is posi-tively associated with sustainable entrepreneurship. The sustainable orientation gained from women’s perceived empowerment could be further enhanced for women’s entre-preneurship by meeting the challenges of psychological capital. Thus, the results of this study contribute to the literature on sustainable women’s entrepreneurship and their per-formance. The effect of psychological capital on women’s perceived empowerment would help the government, its institutions and other non- governmental organizations to direct women entrepreneurs towards sustainable business practices. These institu-tions can further develop policies that can guide women to achieve sustainable devel-opment goals in developing countries.

Keywords: Environmental Values, Psychological Capital, Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Women’s Perceived Empowerment, Women’s Entrepreneurship

Attachments:

0905 Final.pdf

[ ]

153 kB