Abstract:

Purpose- It is a fact that the active participation of women in business life began later in developing countries. The socio-economic systems of the nations and systems of values caused this delay; however, other versions of the glass ceiling in business life exist for female entrepreneurs. The issue of female entrepreneurs is a painful issue for developing countries such as Turkey, although women’s entrepreneurship is still on the rise. As well as state-sponsored projects, non-governmental organizations also try to support women’s entrepreneurship. Methodology- The materials used in this study mainly depend on the outcomes and analyses of the questionnaires administered to the aspiring female entrepreneurs who participated in educational programs in Gaziantep, İzmir, Kastamonu, Adana, Çanakkale and Konya within the corporate social responsibility project (My Idea is My Future) carried out by the Inclusive Growth Association and the Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Centre with the support of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) and the General Directorate for SME Development (KOSGEB) and sponsorship of JTI Turkey in last two years. Findings- This study describes the demographic characteristics of the aspiring female entrepreneurs who participated in the educational program, the attitudes towards women’s entrepreneurship, the factors that obstruct entrepreneurship activities, the effects of the choice to be an entrepreneur on family roles, the preferred women entrepreneur models and women’s perception of being valued. Conclusion- These statements allow to create a picture of aspiring female entrepreneurs in different cities in Turkey and is expected to guide the planning of the next steps of other social responsibility programs. 

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