Title: The impact of the 'No Choice Option' on the performance of women-owned businesses in patriarchal societies

Authors: Bridget Nneka Irene; Joan Lockyer; Cherisse Hoyte; Sunita Dewitt; Razieh Sadraei

Addresses: School of Leadership, Management & Marketing, Leicester Castle Business School, De Montfort University, England, UK ' School of Strategy and Leadership (SSL), Coventry University, England, UK ' International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship (ICTE), Coventry University, England, UK ' School of Management, Coventry University, England, UK ' Centre for Business in Society (CBiS), Coventry University, England, UK

Abstract: The female' underperformance' discourse is a well-established and often disputed notion in entrepreneurship research. This paper seeks to challenge performance measures and re-evaluate the association between gender and business performance using non-conventional performance indicators. This paper uses the Theory of Planned Behaviour and patriarchy as the theoretical frameworks, and Feminist Poststructuralist Discourse Analysis (FPDA) as the method to critically evaluate the association between choice intentions and performance in the context of women-owned businesses in a patriarchal society such as Nigeria, where often success is not required, expected nor welcomed. The data drawn from 100 women entrepreneurs found that 'no choice' or 'forced choice' impacted women's entrepreneurial intentions and, consequently, their business performance. This paper develops a critical analysis of the association between the 'No Choice Option' and the underperformance of women-owned businesses. This association can explain the high failure rates of women-owned businesses in Nigeria.

Keywords: gender; entrepreneurial intentions; patriarchy; underperformance; theory of planned behaviour.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2025.143641

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2025 Vol.21 No.1, pp.103 - 133

Received: 01 Jun 2022
Received in revised form: 02 Feb 2023
Accepted: 02 Feb 2023
Published online: 03 Jan 2025 *

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