Given their sheer number and "motherly instincts" one would expect that the effective participation of women in entrepreneurial activities will offer a far reaching impact on the economy, yet their contribution is barely apparent in a number of developing countries. Assuming that women are unique, this paper sought to determine the specific barriers faced by women entrepreneurs in doing business in Kigali. Anchored on the quantitative approach, the requisite data was obtained from 398 women entrepreneurs operating formal and informal business in the city of Kigali using structured self-administered questionnaires. Aiming for descriptive statistics, the data collected was analysed using the latest version of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The results suggest that women entrepreneurs face a number of challenges in running their businesses in Kigali. These challenges are not limited to among others, the lack of collateral to obtain loans, high taxes, a lack of information technology skills and access, high interest rates, high transport costs, a lack of entrepreneurial skills, but are also compounded by cultural and psychological factors. Therefore, our view is that, it will take time and the combined efforts of women entrepreneurs themselves, society, their families, government, researchers and other stakeholders to overcome these challenges.
Achievement motivation refers to the attainment of business goals. An entrepreneur can receive a reward from the achievement motivation in terms of intrinsic or extrinsic rewards. However, due to cultural norms, stereotyping, and patriarchy, Rwandan women face difficulties when starting a business. Some women broke the glass ceiling and launched their businesses amidst many challenges. A quantitative method guided this study. The survey collected 409 questionnaires from purposively selected women-owned SMEs in Kigali. The findings indicate the challenges they faced, such as HIV/AIDS, a lack of entrepreneurship skills, and market opportunities. Despite the challenges they faced, their businesses performed well, which supported the theory of ‘achieve motivation’. This resulted in rewards, such as respect among family members, the community, and an improvement in their lifestyle, which is critical in Kigali. This study provides novelty in discovering women’s SME achievements in Kigali based on motivation theories. The findings of this study provide a directive to policymakers to improve women-owned businesses under patriarchal environments in Kigali.
Entrepreneurship has been attributed to a masculine career in many economies. Rwanda was no exception to the discrimination of women in entrepreneurship. Due to gender, stereotype, and patriarchy, Rwandan women were not free in deciding to participate in entrepreneurial feminism. Some women became liberalists to break the glass ceiling to launch entrepreneurial feminism. They faced constraints that included a lack of entrepreneurship skills, market opportunity, and fear of failure. This article aimed to explore how gender affects new entrepreneurial feminism creation in Kigali. A quantitative approach used to collect survey data from 409 women-owned SMEs in Kigali were selected purposively. The findings indicated that most women-owned SMEs in Kigali started a necessary business due to unemployment. In contrast, those who needed time to care for their family while generating income launched the opportunity business. (64.3%) accepted permission from partners to start a business. While (24.9%) broke the glass ceiling. A lack of entrepreneurship skills was the major constraint they faced.
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