Entrepreneurship of women 50+ – an overview of factors motivating business activity

<b>Background and purpose of the research</b>: The problem of senior entrepreneurship is a relatively new issue in literature, which should be analyzed in the context of broadly understood age management. Most studies focus on the entrepreneurship of older men. However, there is a research gap when it comes to the problem of entrepreneurship of women aged 50+. The purpose of the article is to identify the key motivational factors that influenced the decision to run their own business by women aged 50 and over in Poland. <b>Project/methodology/approach</b>: The article analyzed domestic and foreign literature on senior entrepreneurship and discussed the authors' empirical research based on the analysis of biographies of 10 female entrepreneurs aged 50 and over in Poland. The biographies of these women published in magazines for managers and entrepreneurs, as well as information posted on internet blogs and websites of their companies, allowed authors to identify, and analyze the motivational factors that influenced their business activity. <b>Findings</b>: The results of theoretical and practical studies focus on discussing the key motivational factors that guide women aged 50 and older in starting and developing their businesses. The results obtained allowed the authors to build a model of entrepreneurial behavior for these women which consists of four elements, such as: intention, attitude, skills, and behavior. <b>Added value and limitations</b>: The limitations and theoretical and practical implications are discussed at the end of the study. In the opinion of the authors, the use of the obtained research can allow diverse business and social organizations on regional and national levels to develop programs that can contribute to the development of the activation of older women in the labor market.