Exploring Saudi Women's Entrepreneurial Intention in the Social Media Era

Abstract

As tradition meets transformation in Saudi Arabia, this study explores the entrepreneurial beliefs that shape Saudi women’s attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control toward entrepreneurship, as well as the role of social media in influencing these beliefs. An exploratory qualitative research methodology was employed to gain in-depth insights, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a lens to explore Saudi women's entrepreneurial attitudes and beliefs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Saudi female potential entrepreneurs who plan to start businesses and nascent entrepreneurs who have initiated a business but have yet to launch it. Non-probability sampling was employed in the selection of target participants, utilising a snowball strategy. Data were collected and analysed using an inductive approach and thematic analysis. The research findings indicate that Saudi women are carving out new avenues for business, benefiting from government support and cultural transformation. The attitude towards starting businesses among participants in the current study is to become autonomous, financially and socially independent, rich, and famous. Social media influences their attitudes by showcasing the benefits of starting a business, and it provides them with access to information and role models that serve as a source of empowerment. Moreover, Saudi women are driven by passion and a strong desire to break free from traditional constraints. They are increasingly less influenced by the opinions of close family and friends if these views are not supportive of their entrepreneurial aspirations. Instead, they tend to place greater importance on the "weak ties" formed through social media, which often exert a more decisive influence than traditional, strong-tie relationships. Furthermore, the findings of the current study indicate that Saudi women’s perceptions of behavioural control are more strongly influenced by external factors, such as desegregated conferences and gatherings, business incubators and virtual platforms, barrier removal, and social media, than by internal factors like previous experience. The research also contributes to the literature on social media and entrepreneurial intention by using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a lens to explore the linkages between these two fields, especially in the Saudi context. Consequently, it contributes to the existing theory by identifying new themes that impact entrepreneurial beliefs and outlining the role of social media as understood by Saudi female entrepreneurs. Moreover, this supports Vision 2030 by providing best practice examples to enhance female entrepreneurship.

Date of Award	2 Sept 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Claudia Henninger (Main Supervisor) & Hsin-Ju Tsai (Co Supervisor)