ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the bias that surrounds people understanding of women entrepreneurs. To address this bias, it presents a conceptual framework for women's business survival that includes the significant influence of contextual differences on women entrepreneurs by drawing on the Malaysian handicraft industry as the context. The chapter discusses the state of the handicraft industry in Malaysia and women's involvement in it. It develops conceptual framework for women's business survival that is contextualized in the handicraft industry in Malaysia. The framework developed here is based on gaps and issues identified in the literature. The chapter explores the significance of government entrepreneurial support programmes (GESPs) in women's business survival process. However, there is an issue of gender bias that minimizes women's participation in the GESPs and creates a gap between what is offered and what women entrepreneurs need. The chapter provides new research perspective that departs from using individual-related factors alone to explain women's entrepreneurial activities.
