Between two worlds: refugee women entrepreneurs navigating institutional forces of home and host countries

Purpose This study explores how institutional forces influence the entrepreneurial behaviours of Syrian refugee women in the UK. It examines the interplay between regulative, normative and cognitive institutions from both their origin and host countries, shaping women’s business adaptation and cultural continuity. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts an interpretivist, qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 19 Syrian refugee women entrepreneurs in the UK. Findings The findings reveal how Syrian refugee women entrepreneurs navigate regulative, normative and cognitive institutional forces. While the UK’s transparent business regulations eased business start-ups, complex legal systems and insufficient targeted support constrained entrepreneurial growth. Women’s reliance on informal institutions, such as co-ethnic networks and community-led exhibitions, reflects gaps in formal support and limited market access. Normative influences shaped business practices, as women leveraged cultural capital to maintain social cohesion but also restricted strategic expansion. Cognitive adaptation was selective, integrating UK business norms without abandoning cultural identity. Nevertheless, emotional strain from displacement and supporting family in Syria limited business expansion and reinforced dependency on informal networks. Originality/value This study contributes to refugee entrepreneurship literature by applying a dual-country institutional lens and demonstrating how refugee women entrepreneurs reconcile regulative, normative and cognitive institutional forces. It challenges the assumption that strong regulative environments alone foster refugee entrepreneurship, highlighting the role of informal support structures and cultural capital. The study underscores the emotional and psychological dimensions of refugee entrepreneurship, offering new insights into the intersection of displacement, gender and business adaptation.