“Freedom to contribute to the community”:

Experiences of migrant women entrepreneurs

Abstract

Migrants play an increasingly substantial role in the Icelandic economy, providing much-needed labor and establishing new business ventures. Internationally, research has shown that migrants face numerous barriers in labor markets, yet little is known about their contribution and experiences as business owners and entrepreneurs in Iceland. This important area is understudied, and more focus is needed on the interaction of the specific context of each country and the gender, race, nationality, and origins of the migrants. In this phenomenological study, we interviewed thirteen migrant women entrepreneurs to seek an understanding of their lived experiences as women, migrants, and entrepreneurs. The findings highlight the intersectionality of barriers, as well as the women’s agency in finding opportunities and sourcing strength from their migrant network. For some of the women, their initial motivation for becoming entrepreneurs was necessity, but the majority were motivated by their desire to contribute to the community, support other migrants, and to innovate. The small size of the Icelandic community and economy turned out to have both positive and negative effects on their experiences. Moreover, when operating in male-dominated sectors where the majority were men and interacting with local businesswomen, they felt excluded and disempowered. The implications of the intersectionality of barriers that migrant women entrepreneurs face, based on the intersectionality of gender, race, nationality, and migrant background, are discussed, and the need for questioning the stereotypes and gender bias in the field of entrepreneurship is highlighted.