Motivation, empowerment, and entrepreneurial intentions: A PLS-SEM analysis of female students in Algeria

Abstract

This paper investigates the multidimensional nature of women’s empowerment and its impact on entrepreneurial intentions among female students at the University of El Oued, Algeria. It aims to clarify how motivational factors and perceived barriers interact with psychological, social, political, and economic empowerment to shape entrepreneurial aspirations in a developing economy context. A stratified sample of 353 female university students was used for quantitative research. A validated online questionnaire assessed entrepreneurial intention, motivation, empowerment, and barriers. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test direct, indirect, and mediating effects between constructs, along with rigorous reliability and validity tests. Motivation emerged as a significant predictor of entrepreneurial intentions, both directly and through complementary mediation by psychological and social empowerment. Political and economic empowerment did not show significant mediating effects. Barriers had modest negative impacts on political, economic, and social empowerment, but did not affect psychological empowerment or entrepreneurial intentions. Among the demographic controls analyzed, only the study field demonstrated a marginally significant relationship with entrepreneurial intentions. This study shows that psychological and social empowerment are most important in shaping female entrepreneurial intentions in Algeria. The findings can help policymakers and educators design targeted interventions to empower women and address contextual barriers in developing economies to promote women’s entrepreneurship.

Keywords

women’s empowerment, entrepreneurial intentions, female students, motivation, PLS-SEM, Algeria

ORCID Identifiers

Lotfi Mekhzoumi: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3752-7178

Salima Ben Omar: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5292-0572

Abderrazak Laouid: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0105-7722

Sabrina Chikh-Amnache: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1319-599X

DOI

10.5038/2640-6489.11.2.1384

Recommended Citation

Mekhzoumi, L., Ben Omar, S., Laouid, A., & Chikh-Amnache, S. (2026). Motivation, empowerment, and entrepreneurial intentions: A PLS-SEM analysis of female students in Algeria. Journal of Global Business Insights, 11(2). https://www.doi.org/10.5038/2640-6489.11.2.1384