Authors : Jabeen M.; Jafar Sadique K.; Dr. Binija George; Dr. Abbas Vattoli

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 4 - April

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/4f3tvsvh

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/yvesav7n

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26apr901

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Abstract : Women entrepreneurship is increasingly recognised as a key pillar of inclusive and sustainable economic development, particularly in emerging economies where structural barriers limit women’s participation in formal economic activities. Governments have introduced multiple startup support schemes aimed at encouraging women to engage in entrepreneurial ventures. However, limited empirical evidence explains how awareness of such schemes translates into entrepreneurial capability. Addressing this gap, the present study examines the relationship between awareness of startup support schemes, entrepreneurial motivation, and entrepreneurial competence among women entrepreneurs. Drawing on motivation theory and competence-based perspectives of entrepreneurship, the study proposes a mediation model in which entrepreneurial motivation acts as a psychological mechanism linking awareness and competence. Primary data were collected from 70 women entrepreneurs, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed using SmartPLS 4. The findings indicate that awareness of startup support schemes has a significant positive effect on entrepreneurial motivation and entrepreneurial competence. Entrepreneurial motivation partially mediates the relationship between awareness and competence. The model demonstrates moderate to substantial explanatory power, explaining 41.4% of the variance in entrepreneurial motivation and 71.9% of the variance in entrepreneurial competence. Predictive relevance was further established using PLSpredict. The study contributes to entrepreneurship and sustainability literature by integrating policy awareness, motivation, and competence into a unified explanatory framework and offers actionable policy implications for strengthening women-centric entrepreneurship initiatives.

Keywords : Women Entrepreneurship; Startup Awareness; Entrepreneurial Motivation; Entrepreneurial Competence; Sustainability; PLS-SEM.

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