Women Entrepreneurs and Leadership: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Empowerment and Social Impact

The purpose of this study is to empirically explore women's empowerment across different cultures. The main objectives are to assess the role of government intervention, in the form of policies and regulations, in promoting women's entrepreneurship. The study also investigates how societal norms and attitudes toward women in business vary between collectivist cultures (China and Pakistan) and individualistic cultures (Australia and New Zealand). It analyses the impact of these factors on the development of leadership effectiveness and decision-making capabilities among women in entrepreneurial settings. This study gathered 150 responses from women entrepreneurs across the selected populations, representing both collectivist and individualistic cultures, which was essential for drawing reliable and generalizable conclusions. Data were collected through in-person and online surveys. The findings reveal a complex interaction between cultural differences, societal norms and government support in shaping the leadership effectiveness and social impact of women's entrepreneurship. Our research found that government support improves social impact in both collectivist and individualistic cultures; however, the effect is stronger in individualistic cultures due to better alignment between government policies and an emphasis on individual empowerment. Furthermore, societal norms were found to have no significant influence on the leadership effectiveness or social impact of women's entrepreneurship in collectivist cultures. By identifying these factors, this study aims to provide actionable insights to policy-makers to design incentives and capacity-building programs that promote women's entrepreneurship.