Challenges for Women Entrepreneurs in Times of Crisis and Tools for Overcoming Them

Crises like the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted women entrepreneurs. Policies designed to support entrepreneurs have often followed a one-size-fits-all approach, overlooking men's and women's unique needs and unequal access to state support. Recognizing these gender disparities, our analysis centres on the perspectives of policy-makers (both during and beyond the pandemic) as well as on the experiences of those the policies aim to support. The study is based on 17 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with low-income women entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic, along with three group discussions with policy-makers during and after the pandemic. We explore the level of policy-making through the views of policy-makers and compare these with the perspectives of women entrepreneurs affected by these policies. The findings reveal notable differences in how problems and solutions for women’s entrepreneurship are viewed, not just between policy-makers and those impacted but also within these groups. Our paper highlights fundamental issues in policymaking, including the neglect of structural barriers affecting women entrepreneurs, the neglect of necessity-driven entrepreneurship, and non-systematic state support.