Women in the entrepreneurship process and entrepreneur housewifes: The case of Kütahya

Women's entrepreneurship is important in terms of increasing the presence of women in the economic market shaped by male-dominated understandings, gaining financial independence and dominating her life, changing the sexist beliefs and stereotypes built-in society against her, and raising her position in the social arena and gaining status. However, cultural norms and traditional understandings limit women and hinder the development of women's entrepreneurship. These limitations show themselves more intensely in housewives. It is important to examine the entrepreneurial processes of housewives, who are in a relatively more disadvantaged position due to the identification of their social position with the domestic space and their inclusion in working life, to enable them to participate in the female workforce and increase their visibility in the social arena. In the research, a literature review on entrepreneurship and women's entrepreneurship was made and in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 entrepreneurial housewives to examine women's entrepreneurship in particular housewives. As a result of the research, entrepreneurial housewives mostly become entrepreneurs with the desire to realize their dreams and prove themselves, they use their savings while establishing their ventures, they receive the support from their spouses the most in the entrepreneurial process, and they have problems in terms of capital supply and bureaucratic procedures, the most obvious change that occurs in their lives with their entrepreneurial activities is personal satisfaction and self-satisfaction. It has been found that there is an increase in self-confidence.