The Impact of Social Enterprises’ Non-Financial Interventions on Women Social Empowerment: Mediating Role of Human Capability

Abstract

In Pakistan, gender inequality has been a perennial concern that halts social development. The gravity of this challenge is further accentuated by the demographics of the country. Women amount to almost 50% of the whole population. In Pakistan, the specter of gender inequality manifests itself in the form of socially disadvantaged and less empowered women. Consequently, social entrepreneurship and social enterprises have emerged as a powerful tools to redress this imbalance. Social enterprises offer a unique mechanism, which facilitates women social empowerment. Thus, this study aims to bring forth the mechanism which undergirds women social empowerment in the case of Pakistan. In this regard, the paper hinges on a quantitative approach. Time lag (T1 and T2) survey method for data collection was used to reduce common method biases (CMB) due to cross-sectional study. Based on convenience sampling, the results of this study are predicated on a study comprising 360 usable responses. The paper reveals that non-financial interventions offered by social enterprises have a significant impact on women social empowerment, nevertheless, in the mediation of ‘optimism human capability’. Arguably, the paper offers consequential insights and implications for social entrepreneurship, human capability development, and women empowerment, particularly in developing countries’ contexts.