Introduction

Aims and Rationale for the Book This book examines female entrepreneurship in countries that are at different stages of transformation from centrally planned into market economies. Interest in female entrepreneurs has increased during recent years throughout the world. Women in business are a growing force in the economy, and in transition environments, their contribution extends from the economic sphere to include the wider process of social transformation. The wide political, economic and social reforms in former socialist countries deprived many women of the paid jobs and social security provided by government, thereby forcing them to find alternative ways of generating income. In this context, starting a business was one of the options facing entrepreneurial women, shaped by a combination of push and pull factors.