Empowered but Underserved: South Asian Women Social Entrepreneurs Leading Against the Odds in the UK

Description

This paper explores how South Asian women, specifically of Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi heritage, utilize social entrepreneurship in the UK to achieve multidimensional empowerment in the face of intersecting barriers related to gender, ethnicity, religion, and class. Through a thematic literature review informed by feminist and intersectionality frameworks, the study examines how lived experiences of marginalization shape entrepreneurial pathways and community-based leadership.

Findings reveal that social enterprises led by South Asian women offer culturally resonant solutions to systemic exclusion. These ventures address critical issues such as domestic violence, mental health, and language barriers while providing economic opportunities and fostering solidarity. Entrepreneurship in this context is often collective, empathetic, and embedded within community values, enabling women to navigate restrictive cultural expectations while advancing social change.

This review contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by centering the voices and experiences of South Asian women, a group often homogenized within broader ethnic or gender categories. It introduces a multidimensional empowerment framework—economic, social, and psychological—rooted in lived experience rather than abstract metrics.

Policy implications highlight the need for intersectional approaches that account for cultural nuance, improve access to finance, and support grassroots initiatives. Practitioners are encouraged to co-create entrepreneurial spaces that reflect the realities of these women’s lives, emphasizing peer support, flexibility, and community impact.

By showcasing social entrepreneurship as both a survival strategy and a form of resistance, this paper underscores the transformative potential of women-led ventures within underserved ethnic communities in the UK.

Keywords
Social Entrepreneurship; South Asian Women; Empowerment; Intersectionality; Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurs; United Kingdom

Period	1 Jul 2025
Event title	BCU Internal Business School Conference
Event type	Conference
Location	Birmingham, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	Local