Female entrepreneurship in Africa

Nziku, Dina; Struthers, John

doi:10.1108/jsbed-03-2017-0115

Cited by 28 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These authors argue that in a developed market context, discrimination and external institutional aspects, as well as sociocultural norms act as barriers to economic participation (Elo et al, 2020). Other studies which have investigated barriers confronting women entrepreneurs in various countries found commonalities in most of them (Belwal et al, 2014;Panda & Dash, 2014;Karan & Shokeen, 2017;Nziku & Struthers, 2018;Panda, 2018). Agrawal (2018) summarises the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs (Figure 2).…”

Section: Female Entrepreneurshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entrepreneurial intention : perspectives from women in a South African province

Pheaha

Schachtebeck

2020

Journal of Contemporary Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The objective of this study was to assess the entrepreneurial intention of women in a South African province. The study employed a quantitative, exploratory research design, utilising a self-administered survey of 200 women in South Africa’s North West province. A non-probability sampling approach was followed. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) by means of an exploratory factor analysis, Pearson’s product-moment correlation and multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that moderate entrepreneurial intentions exist among women in the North West province. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy was found to yield the greatest influence on entrepreneurial intention, followed by risk-taking attributes and cultural perspectives. It also emerged that attitudes towards entrepreneurship, cultural perspectives, risk-taking and self-efficacy had a significant and positive relationship with entrepreneurial intention. There was no statistical difference in entrepreneurial intention in terms of age, educational qualifications and employment status. The study provides guidelines for governmental and non-governmental role players in harnessing and promoting entrepreneurial intention among women. The study provides insights into the existence of entrepreneurial intention in a rural setting in South Africa, which has been neglected in literature. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on entrepreneurial intention in South Africa. The findings can be used to guide policy interventions as they highlight factors which should be integrated into programmes enhancing women’s entrepreneurial intention.

show abstract

Section: Female Entrepreneurshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entrepreneurial intention : perspectives from women in a South African province

Pheaha

Schachtebeck

2020

Journal of Contemporary Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This appears to be due to women's low level of education, knowledge and skills, as well as their reliance on poor technology that consumes most of their time and energy (Nziku, 2012, 2014; Lukmanji, 1992). The most common barriers for female entrepreneurs within Tanzania can be categorised as: personal; cultural; stereotyping and discrimination; access to capital, information and networks; access to technologies and markets; lack of experience and poor education (Nziku and Struthers, 2018; Nziku, 2012, 2016). UNCTAD (2018, 2019) suggests that these conditions are a reflection of the wider social constraints and challenges that women face.…”

Section: Theoretical Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is estimated that, globally, more than 126 million women entrepreneurs have started their own business, and 98 million have grown their business to provide employment opportunities in their local communities (GEM, 2016). Further evidence of women's entrepreneurial contribution to the economy can be found in recent empirical studies that show women-owned businesses to be amongst the fastest growing entrepreneurial population in the world, offering significant contributions to employment and wealth creation across all economies (Foss et al , 2019; GEM, 2019; Henry et al , 2017; Jennings and Brush, 2013; Nziku, 2016; Fike, 2017; Nziku and Struthers, 2018; WEF, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The limited literature focussed on entrepreneurship policy not only highlights its importance but also identifies a number of policy factors found to affect women's entrepreneurial endeavours in both developed and developing countries (Brush and Welter, 2009; Foss et al , 2019; Orser et al , 2019; Nziku and Struthers, 2018; Anupama, 2016; Nziku, 2016; Fike, 2017). Such factors include, but are not limited to: a disproportionate focus on male-dominated sectors, over-reliance on soft supports, inequality of access to networks, inequality of access to finance and the perennial “ one-size-fits-all ” approach (Coleman et al , 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Existing scholarship also recognises the need for policy support to not only be gender-aware (Nziku and Struthers, 2018; Orser et al , 2019) but also to be contextualised within their relevant geographic, cultural and, where possible, sectoral setting if they are to be truly effective (Henry et al , 2016; Nziku, 2014, 2018; Welter et al , 2014; De Bruin et al , 2007; Langowitz and Minniti, 2007). Despite such acknowledgement, for the most part, gender-aware policy formulation or contextualisation either does not occur or is not readily apparent (Arshed et al , 2019; Anupama, 2016; Arshed et al , 2014, 2016; Ahl and Nelson, 2015; Welter et al , 2014; Kvidal and Ljunnggren, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Policies for supporting women entrepreneurs in developing countries: the case of Tanzania

Nziku

Henry

2020

JEPP

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeWhile the topic of women's entrepreneurship continues to grow in academic appeal, the policy aspect is one that has received limited scholarly attention, especially in the context of developing countries. To address this gap in scholarship, the purpose of this paper aims to critically explore women's entrepreneurship policy in Tanzania. The research question asks: How are policies designed to encourage and support entrepreneurship in Tanzania gendered, and how might such policies be (re)designed so that they are more relevant to women entrepreneurs in the Tanzanian context? The authors contribute to extant scholarship by: drawing attention to the particular context for women's entrepreneurship in Tanzania; identifying gender biases inherent in current entrepreneurship policies; offering some recommendations for policymakers and identifying areas worthy of future research attention in this area.Design/methodology/approachThe study builds on the Global Women's Enterprise Policy project. The authors apply an adapted reading guide technique to analyse and critique relevant entrepreneurship policy documents in Tanzania. The reading guide examines the category and type of document being analysed, key themes, content, language and imagery, as well as the key policy recommendations being offered and their relevance to women's entrepreneurship in Tanzania and the wider sub-Saharan African region. Completed reading guide templates are then coded and collated into an excel spreadsheet. Findings are discussed and critiqued within a regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive framework.FindingsThe study provides rich and valuable insights into the unique context for women's entrepreneurship in Tanzania, shedding new light on how women's entrepreneurship is supported in a particular region of sub-Saharan Africa. Findings reveal that while current policy acknowledges the important role women play in their communities, especially in terms of their contribution to labour, it is geared more towards small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development than entrepreneurship; this is despite the fact that entrepreneurship is identified as a means to address sustainable development challenges (notably unemployment and poverty) and expand opportunities for socially disadvantaged groups, especially women. Existing policy is essentially “context neutral” and hence relatively ineffective; the gender focus is lacking and there is a failure to take account of the specific context in which Tanzanian women entrepreneurs have to operate. The authors argue for policies designed to support women's entrepreneurship to be formalised and contextualised in their specific geographical and cultural setting. The “institutional pillars” framework allows us to identify areas where contextualisation of women's entrepreneurship policies could be enhanced.Practical implicationsThe study implies that, to be effective, policies designed to support women's entrepreneurship need to be formalised and contextualised to their specific geographical and cultural setting. Some areas where this might be achieved are identified. Avenues for future research in this area are also suggested.Originality/valueThe value of the paper lies in its focus on Tanzania, and its critique of existing policies from a gender and institutional perspective. It also enhances understanding of the unique context in Tanzania for entrepreneurship.

show abstract