Challenges and enablers of women entrepreneurs’ career advancement in Vietnam’s coffee industry

Purpose - This paper aims to explore the motivational factors and contextual facilitators of female entrepreneurs in Vietnam’s coffee industry and also the barriers facing them. Design/methodology/approach - This study adopts the grounded theory approach, using semi-structured in-depth interviews with 31 women entrepreneurs in the coffee industry in the rural Central Highlands of Vietnam. Findings - This study found that necessity-driven factors play an important role in motivating female entrepreneurs to advance their careers. However, these factors may be transformed into the opportunity-driven motives. Furthermore, the findings suggest that Asia’s collectivism culture and family support significantly affect the success of the women entrepreneurs, although gender inequality is not perceived as a serious constraint in entrepreneurial activities. Research limitations/implications - This study has implications for the literature of women entrepreneurs regarding motivations and contextual influences in agricultural and rural areas of Vietnam. However, the sample size is relatively small which limits the concept generation of the study. For further research, a larger sample size with different business sectors should be considered to generate more explicit findings. Practical implications - The findings from this study can assist the policymakers in developing strategies and governmental policies to support the career advancement of women entrepreneurs and improving gender equality in Vietnam. Originality/value - This study contributes to the literature about understanding the motives and the roles of socioeconomic contexts in women’s entrepreneurial activities in agricultural and rural areas.