Abstract:
Ethnic minority female entrepreneurs play a vital role in
developed countries, yet they rarely receive recognition. The
research explores the experiences of Sri Lankan female immigrant
entrepreneurs and their challenges in London, the United Kingdom.
The research followed the path of a narrative approach of qualitative
methodology, which is an efficient method to explore people's
experiences through a sociologically based theory on “othering” and
“belonging.” Seven participants were purposively approached and
asked to narrate their stories and share their experiences. The
research findings suggest that female immigrant entrepreneurs face
many hardships in their businesses. Institutional and consumer
racism and a lack of networking are the external barriers they had to
face. The internal challenges include the liability of newness and the
host country's cultural values. Sri Lankan female entrepreneurs’
identities are labeled as an “othered” social group in the UK
business community context, treated as outsiders, and made to face
structural exclusion. However, gender is not the real villain;
ethnicity is the actual undercover devil at business. This research
offers a unique insight into female and immigrant entrepreneurship,
thereby casting light on an aspect of Sri Lankan female
entrepreneurs living in the United Kingdom, which is currently
under research.
