Economic empowerment programs for women and culturally embedded entrepreneurism: a viewpoint from Solomon Islands.

This article explores the economic empowerment programs for women in the Solomon Islands and the obstacles they encounter due to cultural norms surrounding entrepreneurship. The programs aim to enhance skills in areas like bookkeeping and business management, but the article argues that they often overlook the social and cultural factors that influence entrepreneurship in the Solomon Islands. It examines two key themes: the challenges of refusing credit requests from family members and the intersection of cultural notions of success with business. The article stresses the importance of striking a delicate balance between commercial and cultural economic agencies and highlights the additional layers of negotiation and conditions that women entrepreneurs face. It emphasizes the need to involve men in economic empowerment programs to raise awareness and support women's leadership in business. The article also suggests the necessity of a culturally sensitive approach in designing and implementing these programs, as well as incorporating culturally based indicators in monitoring and evaluation processes. [Extracted from the article]