Historically, entrepreneurship has been the exclusive prerogative of men, and Russia is no exception with its traditional distribution of social and family roles and statuses. Over the past century, a big step forward has been made in achieving gender equality, as a result of which modern women entrepreneurs have begun to play an important role in the structure of the Russian business community. Despite the achieved results, women entrepreneurs continue to face universal specific problems in running business: gender stereotypes; vertical and horizontal occupational segregation; double employment in connection with the birth and upbringing of children. The aim of the article is to identify the main motives of women entrepreneurs to start their own business. The main research method was a formalized interview; the search for informants was carried out by the “snowball” method. The study was involved women living in Saratov region aged of 32-69 years, who have owned their own business for at least three years. Research results: it was found, that the main motives of women’s entrepreneurship include changes in material, social and personal status through upward social mobility; increasing the level and quality of family members’ lives; the improvement of professional skills and the realization of human potential. The factors hindering the development of women’s entrepreneurship are the lack of material and financial resources; lack of professional education; high risks in a situation of instability; personal factors.