Abstract

Traditional entrepreneurship literature claims to present a universal model of the entrepreneur by adopting ostensibly unbiased criteria to assess entrepreneurial motivation and performance. However, the deep-rooted white male bias in conceptualising entrepreneurship leads not only to a narrow representation of the experiences of non-western women entrepreneurs, but also to biased, incomplete and misleading explanations, concepts, theories and models to explain practices and experiences of entrepreneurs in general. This chapter seeks to contribute to the growing body of feminist entrepreneurship scholarship by providing an inclusive representation of entrepreneurs by turning to the lived experiences of 44 Sri Lankan women entrepreneurs. This chapter presents novel findings by examining the intersectionality of gender, class, caste, ethnicity, religion, life-cycle-stage to unpack how women engage in entrepreneuring. The findings reveal how women are socially positioned in entrepreneurship and how women carefully navigate structural and institutional barriers to present themselves as belonging through everyday practices.