Women's Entrepreneurial Intention and Sustainable Livelihoods: The Mediating Roles of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Financial

Abstract

In this research, the relationship between women's entrepreneurial intention and sustainable livelihood was researched with specific regard to the mediating variables of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and financial independence of women. Structured questionnaires with previously validated scales were used to collect primary data. An adapted version of the Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire was used to measure entrepreneurial intention, an adapted multidimensional self-efficacy scale was used to measure entrepreneurial self-efficacy, items capturing perceived financial autonomy and capacity for sustainable self-sufficient income generation were used to measure financial independence and items capturing the stability, resilience and long-term adequacy of livelihood strategies were used to measure sustainable livelihoods. The constructs were measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Data analysis was carried out using covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) which involved data screening, descriptive analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the construct validity. The results showed that entrepreneurial intention was found to have significant positive direct effects on entrepreneurial self-efficacy, financial independence and sustainable livelihoods and that entrepreneurial self-efficacy and financial independence had significant and independent mediating effects between entrepreneurial intention and sustainable livelihoods. The results expand on the literatures on women entrepreneurship and women livelihoods, by showing that entrepreneurial intention leads to sustainable livelihood outcomes not just through the direct pathway of entrepreneurial action, but also through two indirect pathways: psychological confidence pathway and economic autonomy pathway.