Women entrepreneurs in challenging contexts: the role of purpose and coping strategies in building resilience

Purpose This study aims to investigate how Lebanese women entrepreneurs build resilience in the face of compounding crises, including economic collapse, political instability and the COVID-19 pandemic. It introduces “Mission” as a sixth dimension in the established 5M framework and explores how meaning-based coping strategies support women’s entrepreneurial persistence in adverse contexts. Design/methodology/approach Using an interpretive qualitative approach grounded in a feminist social constructivist framework, this study draws on 45 in-depth interviews and 15 participatory action research engagements with women entrepreneurs in Beirut. Data were analyzed thematically through an iterative process using both deductive and inductive coding, validated through member checking and triangulated with field notes. Findings Findings reveal that women entrepreneurs face structural challenges across markets, money, management, motherhood and the meso/macro environment. However, a strong sense of mission − defined as a moral, social or cultural obligation − emerged as a critical yet underrecognized source of entrepreneurial resilience. Participants used meaning-based coping strategies, such as positive reframing, prosocial engagement and existential purpose, to sustain motivation and navigate crisis. These strategies were essential when traditional problem- or emotion-focused approaches were insufficient. Originality/value This study extends the widely used 5M model by empirically proposing a sixth “M”-Mission-highlighting the psychological and existential dimensions of women’s entrepreneurship in crisis settings. It also introduces meaning-based coping into the entrepreneurial resilience literature, offering a gender-sensitive and contextually grounded framework. These insights advance theory and inform support mechanisms for entrepreneurs operating in volatile environments.