Exploring the Emotional and Identity-Related Meaning of Business Failure Among Women Entrepreneurs in Remote Areas of Indonesia
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Abstract
Entrepreneurship research increasingly recognizes the importance of understanding the emotional and social dimensions of business experiences. However, the subjective meaning of business failure among women entrepreneurs in remote areas of Indonesia remains underexplored, particularly within culturally constrained settings. This study addresses the question: How do women entrepreneurs in remote areas experience and make sense of business failure? Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, this study explores the lived experiences of eight women who faced business failure in rural Indonesia. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to uncover themes of identity loss, structural constraint, emotional meaning-making, and self-redefinition. The findings reveal that business failure is experienced not only as an economic event but as a profound personal and social rupture, shaped by gendered expectations and community dynamics. Participants reinterpreted failure over time as a catalyst for resilience and growth, forming new entrepreneurial identities in the process. This study contributes a nuanced understanding of entrepreneurial failure by shifting the focus from outcome-based frameworks to the lived experience of identity reconstruction and emotional adaptation. It underscores the need for culturally sensitive and psychologically supportive entrepreneurship initiatives tailored for marginalized women in rural areas.
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