Abstract:
The study examined psychological factors that influence women
entrepreneurial intention in Nigeria. One hundred and seventeen (117)
women were drawn within Enugu metropolis using purposive random
sampling technique. Their ages ranged between 18 and 50 years, with
a mean age of 22.07. Cross-sectional design was adopted. Job involvement
(JI), self-efficacy, goal orientation and entrepreneurial intention
scales were instruments used for data collection. Three hypotheses
were tested. Step-wise multiple regressions were the main statistics
used for data analysis. Results of the regression analysis showed that
among the studied variables, only self-efficacy was a significant predictor
of women participation in entrepreneurship (p < 0.01). The three dimensions of goal orientation, learning goal orientation, prove (performance-prove)
orientation, and avoid (performance-avoid) orientation,
were not significant predictors of women participation in entrepreneurship.
Similarly, JI did not also significantly predict women participation
in entrepreneurship. A good practical implication of the finding of this
study is that women who develop high self-efficacy are more likely to
be entrepreneurs and that strategies to build high self-efficacy among
women are needed to make more women become entrepreneurs in
order to enhance national/grass-root development. Limitations were
made, while suggestions for further studies were stated.
