I can, I’m doing, but I’m unfit, a tentative approach towards entrepreneurial regret

Purpose Career choices and selections are amongst the most important predictors of a person’s perception of life satisfaction. Pursuing entrepreneurship as a career may arise as a result of psychological adaptation of career choices in addition to societal role specifications. Therefor, this study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of potential predictors which can intervene in the entrepreneurial intentions and its progression for an important group of the society. Design/methodology/approach Using semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study attempts to illuminate existing and emerging trends, barriers and future orientation of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Nvivo 12 was used for thematic analysis to drive specific themes of entrepreneurial regret in Pakistani women entrepreneurs. Findings The findings revealed multilevel themes influencing women’s choices of entrepreneurship as a career, including intrinsic, extrinsic and interpersonal factors. All of these factors shared the feature of social segregation and socially developed role categorisation. The findings revealed that gender roles and segregation in societies play a significant role in influencing women’s career choices. Originality/value Though similar narratives have been presented in previous studies in the context of career selection. This study, on the other hand, makes a unique contribution by identifying relative factors as determinants of regret and counterfactual thinking in Pakistan’s socially constrained culture.