RESPONSIBLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP VISION DEVELOPMENT AND ETHICS

462 RESPONSIBLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
in such contexts. Although Le Renard (2014, p. 161) argued that there is a “complex interactions
between state transformation and transformations of the family institution affect, and
these are affected by new behaviour among the younger generation of women”, the study
findings showed that the modern young Saudi women still face constrains by family ideology
and adapt to it, because up to date the influence of family is inevitable for women in
such context (Alshareef, 2015).
With the salient constraints of mobility in society, and the way family ideology influence
this, women tend to consider discussing mobility when it comes to starting a business. Some
of the interviewees stressed the point by stating, ‘I discussed it at the beginning, I was telling
my father that you have to know that with this business I have to travel a lot’. The father’s
response to this comment enables women to understand the contextual factors around mobility
and that were likely to define their entrepreneurial activity. Such responses show that
women’s businesses require attention to one’s contextual factor around mobility capabilities.
Shin (2011), for example, argued that family dissolution in some societies could hurt women’s
mobility, which align with this study finding, but also shows that mobility for Saudi women
is about acquiring permission from their families to maintain the traditional family order.
Mobility implications
Business location
In addition, if actual travel alone is to be considered, then the decision of business location
should be considered as an indicator of unconstrained mobility. With respect to business
location, most of the women interviewed chose to start their businesses from their home and
this was explained to be their ‘own’ preference of choice. Nevertheless, when considering
mobility, then this revealed a slightly different story. Many of the women explicitly stated
the financial benefit of starting a business from home, while implicitly explaining the role of
mobility to influence such choice. This was indicated by one interviewee who stated, ‘working
from home is ‘more comfortable’ and ‘relaxing’. When asked for an explanation, the majority
of interviewees gave an answer, such as, ‘I don’t have to think of the availability of the
car and driver’. In other words, working from home reduces mobility arrangement with the
driver and other family members. Working from home gave nascent women entrepreneurs
‘a peace of mind’ because mobility requires discussion and arrangement in the household.
Depending on the household size and individuals’ position in the household, it also demands
demand scheduling and organising the how, when and where aspects of one’s mobility. Therefore,
a home-based business is a way for nascent women entrepreneurs to free themselves
from mobility constraints.
However, it is important to recognise that even if the business location (home-based business)
was a strategy for Saudi women to reduce their mobility, this does not mean that mobility
is completely discarded, as it remains a crucial part for nascent women entrepreneurial
social activities.
Social and cultural factors
Cultural norms play a significant role when it comes to women’s mobility for
entrepreneurial activities. Generally speaking, mobility to some extent aligns with one of the
main challenges encountered by Saudi women entrepreneurship, namely the issue of social
activities (meeting and interacting) with the opposite sex. ‘I don’t have men as a client in my