Understanding spatial mobility and spatial capability in women entrepreneurship: a case study on Saudi women entrepreneurs

This study aimed to understand spatial mobility and spatial capability and its role in women's entrepreneurial social activities. The paper focused on Saudi Arabia and considered it as a unique context when it comes to discussing women's mobility. In-depth interviews were conducted to position spatial mobility and spatial capability in entrepreneurship studies. Therefore, the study examined whether women's entrepreneurial social activities influence their spatial mobility and spatial capability, or is women condition of spatial mobility and spatial capability determines and shapes their entrepreneurial activities. In addition, this paper examined the contextual factors that of influence to women's mobility. This study focused on nascent entrepreneurs and the start-up phase of the businesses to generate an understanding of women's capabilities and experience of constraints. With that in min this study found that nascent women entrepreneurs adjust their entrepreneurial social activities due to the structure of mobility in the society. In addition, family ideology was one of the main components that shape nascent women entrepreneur's choice to travel and to participate in social activities. This clearly showed that nascent women entrepreneurs accept the constraints by adapting to the limited mobility that exist in this study context and they refer to it as a 'preference of choice'.