The Entrepreneurial Intention of Algerian Women (a Sample Study of Skikda University Female Students)

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is currently occupying a significant space due to its positive effects on the economic and social levels and its consideration as an important source of wealth, creativity, and job opportunities. Moreover, given that both the public and private sectors cannot absorb the huge numbers of university graduates in terms of employment, especially girls in developing countries, this group must be directed towards self-employment. Governments, on their part, must enhance the entrepreneurial intent of students through universities. The main purpose of this paper is to measure the level of entrepreneurial intention among Algerian women by investigating the importance and impact of the most important factors affecting entrepreneurial intention (according to the majority of previous empirical studies) in motivating Algerian female students to create their own business. The primary data are collected through a self-prepared questionnaire to assess the role of explanatory factors such an attitude to entrepreneurship, parental influence, self-efficacy, entrepreneurial education and governmental support with “entrepreneurial intentions”. 254 female students from SKIKDA University have participated in the survey. The data are analyzed using SPSS program. The results have shown that female students who are about to graduate have a considerable (high) intention to start an entrepreneurship project. The entrepreneurial intent among female students are strongly affected by parental and governmental support and the rest of the factors come to a lesser degree (acceptable) of influence (Self-efficacy, entrepreneurial education and attitude to entrepreneurship).