Introducing “Child Entrepreneurs”: A Study on Poor Children Owned Businesses in Bangladesh

Abstract

Concerning the income generation of children, studies on developing nations are almost exclusively concentrated on child labor. Nonetheless, this research extends the view by revealing how a number of poor children were engaged in businesses to maintain their subsistence in the context of Bangladesh. Thus, it introduces ‘Child Entrepreneurs’ in the extant literature with the diversities and complexities of their ventures. Further, it discloses the reasons for and the consequences of entrepreneurial efforts in the personal lives of the children. It should be highlighted that these children were less than 12 years old, when they were not legally allowed to be engaged in any form of employment. Nevertheless, whilst apparently, the entrepreneurs are essentially adults, this study potentially contributes to the prevailing knowledge by introducing these children as entrepreneurs.

Keywords: Child Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Child Labor, Developing Nations, Bangladesh.