Study of Women's Entrepreneurship from Gender Perspective: a Field in Uzbekistan

With the emphasis on entrepreneurship as a driving force for economic development in neoliberal policies, entrepreneurship is widely promoted for development and poverty eradication in late capitalist countries. In a patriarchal society such as Uzbekistan, entrepreneurship has also begun to be encouraged as a way of employment that will balance women’s roles in business life and household.From the feminist literature, it is known that women’s work and life experiences differ significantly from men’s due to the patriarchal structure, and women are more disadvantaged than men in social, economic and political areas. However, the roles determined by the patriarchal structure for men and women can change as a response, sometimes conflicting and sometimes reconciliating, to the needs of the capitalist system at different stages. This situation indicates a need to study women’s entrepreneurial activity from a gender perspective in a late capitalist country like Uzbekistan.In this study, we made an effort to understand the characteristics of women entrepreneurship and the experiences of women entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan by using the critical approach and qualitative research techniques that allow us to understand women’s experiences from their own explanations. An evaluation has been made on whether entrepreneurship affects the social position of women and if so, in which way.