Should I Start My Own Venture? Moderating Effect of Pull Factors on the Relationship of Push Factors with Women Entrepreneurial Intentions

Abstract Extant literature of women entrepreneurial intention (EI) has not studied the interplay of push and pull factors well, creating a lacuna in literature. In this paper, we explored how barriers within their professional careers, i.e. push factors led to women EI, and how interpersonal motivators and contextual pull factors moderated that relationship. Adopting the push-pull framework and analyzing survey-based responses from 302 working women using structural-equation-modeling, we find that the need for recognition (NFR) and the glass ceiling (GC) effect have positive relationships, whereas family support (FS) has a negative relationship with EIs. Moreover, the NFR and FS moderate GC-EI relationship. Our study contributes towards the women entrepreneurship literature by focusing on the interplay of push and pull factors. The paper also provides important managerial and policy implications for organizations and policy makers.