Women’s entrepreneurship is at the forefront of what matters in contemporary issues and incentive policies. Gaining competitive advantage is also important in terms of factors such as women’s development, economic growth and social equilibrium. Positive discrimination towards women’s entrepreneurship processes plays an important role in raising employment rates. The evaluation of entrepreneurship from a different point of view, reveals the necessity of investigating the factors that affect women’s entrepreneurship. In this study, the factors affecting women’s entrepreneurship were aimed to examine through comprehensive literature review, and factors affecting and limiting women’s entrepreneurship were tried to be determined using Mixed-Method Evaluation Design. In this framework, the reasons for entrepreneurship for women and the factors that affect or prevent the development of women’s entrepreneurship are covered. The research was carried out by 132 women entrepreneurs operating in the province of Adana in Turkey. Data were gathered through data collection form where quantitative and qualitative data were obtained using face-to-face interview method. While Freedom and great independence (financial and others) is defined as pull factor (n:5) in the literature, it is mostly expressed as push factor (n:8) in this research. The results show that there is a positive and significant correlation between push and balance factors (r:,507), pull and emotional factors (r:,494), emotinal and push factors (r:,494), emotional and balance factors (r:,488), pull and push factors (r:,317), pull and balance factors (r:,265). In addition, according to the results of the interview, the factors affecting women’s entrepreneurship and the factors other than the factors mentioned in the questionnaire were investigated; “Hold on to the life by oneself” is a balance factor (n:3), “Prove oneself” is a push factor (n:7), “self-confidence” is an emotional factor (n:4), “children” is a push factor (n:2), “justice” is both pull (n:1) and push factor (n:1), “innovation” is a pull factor (n:1), “mobbing” is an emotional factor (n:2) and “dream” is both pull (n:1) and emotional factor (n:1).

Introduction

The concept of women entrepreneurship should be conceptualized in accordance with its aim. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the academic point of view of women and especially women entrepreneur is free from feminine characteristics. Women have an important place in the world population. In the world where male dominant business culture is prevalent, the number of women entrepreneurs is increasing rapidly. Government grants, households have become a structure that is moving away from the elementary family, leading women to gain economic freedom (Robinson, Blockson, & Robinson, 2007). The woman’s perception of being a housewife left her place to the idea of being a successful individual in business life. Today, from this approach, within the concept of equality, women’s idea of freedom makes a positive contribution to the business life (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2005). With this study, factors that affect the business life of women entrepreneurs have been tried to be determined.