Despite making nearly half of the world's population, women are underrepresented in every industry. A nation's overall development greatly depends on the economic empowerment of women. Despite this, prejudice, a lack of funding, issues with local councils, having many responsibilities, having limited access to the legal system, and a lack of education present obstacles for female-run businesses (1). Compared to men, women are less confident in their ability to succeed and are more impacted by family issues. Their external locus of control and fear of failure are higher. In addition to relying more on government assistance, female entrepreneurs reported having fewer business and entrepreneurial abilities (2). Women's access to finance is essential to decreasing poverty and promoting inclusive, sustainable development since it encourages women to start their businesses and acquire assets. But, as is the case in other economic opportunities, there is gender disparity in accessing finance. While funding is thought to be the primary barrier to starting a company in Ethiopia, women entrepreneurs face particularly severe financing challenges. The percentage of women who own assets and manage their enterprises is disproportionately low, especially for women in rural areas. Only about 24% of women are self-employed as compared to 54% of men (3). Women’s integration into the labour market faces multiple obstacles: they are overrepresented in less productive sectors of the economy: face access barriers to decision-making positions, are concentrated in informal jobs and small businesses, and have lower salaries. In addition, they face more difficulties accessing and using financial and investment services, which limits their ability to deal with the crisis. The inability of women-led businesses to obtain profitable loans restricts their ability to make investments and their potential for expansion (4). Evidence indicates that women prefer to be employed by others over creating jobs for themselves. They are often forced to start businesses and entrepreneurial activities when the necessity arises due to unemployment or low family income rather than being motivated to start a business based on creativity of self-interest. Women-owned businesses are usually weaker in economic performance and success. They tend to be smaller in size, are less profitable, grow more slowly if succeeded and have higher closure rates. They are less likely to be externally financed (5–8). Thus, it is highly important to know the underlying reasons for these issues concerning women's entrepreneurship.
