ЖЕНЩИНЫ И ПРЕДПРИНИМАТЕЛЬСТВО В АФРИКЕ

Over the past decade, there has been a boom within the business environment, with women entrepreneurs evolving in large numbers contributing to the social and economic level development of society. Economic participation and development of organizations indicate that 15% to 35% of entrepreneurs are women. The business being the fulcrum of any economy, it is the responsibility of the business proprietors, be they, men or women, to weigh the effect of their operations on society. Entrepreneurship in management is the process of organizing existing resources for marketable products and services. Women business owners who have adopted and executed entrepreneurial exercises and techniques in their firms can be called women entrepreneurs. Generally, entrepreneurship is considered a domain for men; however, women have pioneered fields like teaching, retail, and health professions for a very long period, and women are known for their problem-solving strategies to deal with problems, issues, multitasking, team building and the successful development of organizations. The story of women entrepreneurs is a societal change that has been happening since the early 21st century. Economic growth has been steady in countries where women have advanced in entrepreneurship, whereas in countries where growth in women's entrepreneurship is not so evident Economic development has been stagnant. Hence, this paper narrates the entrepreneurial opportunities for women in India.

A theoretical overview and extension of research on sex, gender, and entrepreneurship

Aim: The study aimed to investigate factors contributing to the success of specific ethnic entrepreneurs over others and to identify challenges hindering the growth of businesses owned by women, ethnic groups, and minorities. Methodology: The study employed a mix of positivism and interpretivism philosophy and utilized a descriptive survey design employing a cross-sectional method to gather and analyze data. The objectives and purpose of the study influence the decision toward the selection of research design, it is necessary to select a research design that matches the problem studied. Data were collected from sample comprised 30 respondents selected randomly from three distinct groups: women entrepreneurs, ethnic entrepreneurs, and minority entrepreneurs within Dar es salaam, using simple randomly sampling technique. The study employed in-depth interview to collect information from entrepreneurs’ women entrepreneurs, ethnic entrepreneurs, and minority entrepreneurs situated in various locations in Dar-es-Salaam. Data analysis was conducted using the content analysis method, where gathered data were coded, aligned according to discernible patterns, quantified and transformed into numerical values. Findings: The study found various factors contributing to the success of confident ethnic entrepreneurs, including motivations, opportunity structure, group characteristics, predisposing factors, and customer relationships. Challenges hindering women and minority-owned businesses included social-cultural barriers, financial constraints, and market accessibility challenges. Based on the study's findings, recommendations were made, including launching a nationwide campaign to address negative mindsets about women in business, developing specialized financial schemes for small businesses, and advocating for support groups and entrepreneurship clubs to tackle market challenges collectively.

This paper contributes to the debate on gender and small business, examining two women's enterprise policies and three initiatives developed in Glasgow in the mid 1990s. Responding to concerns about the low rate of women's business start-up and growth in Glasgow, local authorities and the Local Enterprise Company developed a number of policy recommendations. Subsequent implementation by local business development agencies was piecemeal and small scale, due in part to the pressures from output related funding, and to the funders' priority for businesses with high growth potential. The most significant women's enterprise initiative has been the establishment of the Wellpark Enterprise Centre, providing a targeted range of integrated services for women's business start-up and growth.

IntroductionWomen-owned businesses represent a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. economy. According to the Small Business Administration (2011), the number of women-owned businesses increased by 44% since 1997 which was double the growth in male-owned firms. In 2011, women-owned businesses accounted for 36% of all firms. While business ownership presents its own set of challenges, it may be particularly challenging for women business owners (e.g., Winn, 2004). Minorities comprise an increasing share of new entrepreneurs, increasing from 23.6% in 1996 to 39.8% in 2011 (Fairlie, 2012). Among women business owners, minority women may experience greater challenges than their non-minority counterparts. Smith-Hunter and Boyd (2004) found that minority women became business owners for different reasons than did non-minority women, and that they faced greater challenges in starting and operating their businesses. Drawing from Aj zen's theory of planned behavior (1991), differences in perceptions of challenges may affect the decisions the business owners make and ultimately the direction and success of the business. The purpose of this study is to examine differences in the perceptions of challenges faced by minority and non-minority women business owners.Literature ReviewPrevious research has focused on differences in the business environment for women- and minority-owned businesses, examining differences in challenges associated with major business functions, accessing financial capital, and developing social capital. Considerable research has been performed on the differences between male and female entrepreneurs as well as between minority and non-minority entrepreneurs; however, due to sample size constraints, few studies have been able to examine the joint effects of gender and minority status simultaneously, particularly for minority women business owners.Harris (2011) examined the differences between small business owners' perceptions of problems presented by major business functional areas by gender and ethnicity. He found few differences between the perceived problems of male and female small business owners (women perceived greater problems in the area of strategic goal development), but found many differences between minority and non-minority business owners of both genders combined. Minority small business owners perceived greater problems in the areas of finance, accounting, personnel management, and purchasing.The challenge of woman- and minority-owned businesses in obtaining financial capital is well documented. Pearson, Fawcett, and Cooper (1993) listed the most significant impediments to successful relationships involving minority businesses from the perspectives of both owners of minority business enterprise (MBEs) and corporate purchasing personnel (CPPs). Undercapitalization was perceived as the first issue for both MBEs and CPPs. Lucas (2006) argued that minority women business owners may have difficulty in obtaining access to capital because of a lack of both business experience and industry-specific experience and because their businesses tend to be smaller and newer. Rosa and Hamilton (1994) examined how gender barriers and stereotypes disadvantage women business owners in acquiring business funding. Christopher (1998) estimated that 46.6% of African American, 38.7% of Hispanic, and 33.4% of Asian business owners utilized commercial bank loans as compared to 55.4% for non-minority business owners. Christopher (1998) also found that a threshold debt to equity ratio of 65% with access to commercial capital increased the likelihood of survival of the enterprise, thus highlighting the importance of access to capital. Coleman (2004) examined the relationship between the business owners' gender, race, level of education and their ability to borrow money. She found that white women were no less likely than white men to apply for loans or to avoid applying because of a fear of being turned down. …

The emphasis in research on female entrepreneurship remains focused on the impact of gender on women's experience of business ownership, often demonstrated through comparisons of male and female entrepreneurs. By contrast, this article explores the differences and divisions between women business owners who are silent about gender issues and those who are not. The main data drawn on in the article are e-mails conducted through a web-based entrepreneurial network set up to promote and support women in business, supplemented with interview material derived from an interview study of 19 women business owners. By considering the way in which some women business owners not only treat entrepreneurship as gender-neutral, but also seek to conceal its gendered nature, we can see how some female entrepreneurs are trying to avoid being identified as different from the masculine norm of entrepreneurship.

On the survival prospects of men's and women's new business ventures

During the past decade, the incidence of women starting businesses dramatically accelerated in the US. A national, representative sample of women (and men) business owners was interviewed by telephone to understand better this phenomenon. This analysis focuses on women business owners who left corporate careers to start their own businesses. Respondents' experiences with corporate “glass ceilings” and “glass walls”, such as lack of flexibility and challenge, lack of role models and mentors, lack of access to line positions with concomitant intrapreneurial opportunities, and failure of organizations to credit and reward women's contributions, are examined. Differences among three age cohorts of women business owners, included in the analysis, portend increased difficulty for companies in retaining talented women professionals and managers, especially those with entrepreneurial interests. Recommendations to companies include identifying and eliminating barriers to women's advancement in the corporate culture and work environment, and development of more intrapreneurial opportunities.

The article examines the grant tools of international and national funds and programs in Ukraine for the development of women's entrepreneurship. The main possibilities of grant support of USAID programs "Competitive Economy of Ukraine", "eRobota", TalentA-2023, Ukrainian Women's Fund, Prix de la Femme d'Affaire, Estonian Council for Refugees, NGO "Development Platform "SMR" are outlined. It has been demonstrated that grant assistance for women's business is possible both in cash and in kind, both from international and national funds, from the government and from public organizations, both direct and indirect. Prospects for attracting financial and non-financial support for strengthening women's business, updating the material and technical base were considered, namely: purchase of furniture, equipment and vehicles for commercial use, licensed software, raw materials, materials, goods and services; payment for marketing and advertising services, rental of non-residential premises and equipment. The specificity and priorities of grant-givers in the processes of supporting women's business with grant resources are demonstrated. Grant opportunities were considered for: opening a new business within the framework of an existing one, scaling projects, entering other markets, including exports, expanding the range of products/ser- vices, implementing innovative solutions in business activities, optimization, adaptation, improvement of business processes, etc. The main obstacles and barriers faced by women, potential grant recipients, have been identified. The reasons for the slug- gish process of women's use of grant resources are analyzed. In particular: the lack of understanding among female business representatives, who can receive a grant for what and how, the low level of competences of female entrepreneurs, which is necessary for the formation of a competitive grant proposal, the non-compliance of the proposed activity with the eligibility criteria, and the fact that a significant number of women lead business activities outside the legal field. The main opportunities for the development of women's business in Ukraine due to the active involvement of grant instruments of international and national programs and funds are emphasized.

Supporting women's businesses has become a topic of growing interest to governments and mainstream development institutions in recent years. Declarations to address women's unequal access to economic opportunity at the G-20 Summit, the development of UN Women, and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative reflect that mainstream institutions are adopting a role in improving women's economic opportunities throughout the developed and developing world. This study aims to inform thinking around these initiatives, using a detailed case study in Colombia as a basis. We begin by posing the question, why support women's businesses as opposed to all small businesses in a developing country, arguing that there are multiple potential reasons including economic development, investment in families and promoting gender equality. We then discuss some of the success and failure factors that our case study identifies in women's and men's businesses and link these to potential interventions that can best serve women entrepreneurs. This understanding feeds into a parallel objective, to evaluate a business training and business strengthening program for women with small businesses in several cities in Colombia: Mujeres ECCO . Our study combines primary data analysis from the databases of the Chambers of Commerce of Bucaramanga and Cartagena with interviews with 120 small business owners as well as participants in the Mujeres ECCO program to gain further insight into the differences between men's and women's and successful and unsuccessful businesses and the factors influencing those differences, and to better understand how one program worked to specifically address women's business needs. These were complemented by a literature review and focus group discussions and interviews with business owners and stakeholders in Mujeres ECCO and other programs.

PurposeAlthough the extant literature has already recognised the negative impact of homebound responsibilities on women's entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is yet to know whether and how the family has any other role in women's businesses during this critical period. This research aims to explore the patronising and patriarchal roles of the family regarding women's small businesses in a developing nation during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis feminist study is based on the interviews of women business-owners of a highly patriarchal developing nation, Bangladesh. During the period of the interview, Bangladesh was one of the top ten regions of the world in terms of the identified coronavirus cases.FindingsThe research unveils work-family enrichment by illustrating the help of family members in meeting the challenges of the pandemic period regarding women's certain business activities, such as the innovative production process. Besides, the study reveals the assisting and, in some cases, the non-cooperative approaches of family members concerning additional homebound responsibilities that affect work-family conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic.Originality/valueWhereas the existing literature on women's entrepreneurship regarding the family revolves around work-family conflict due to maternal or caregiving responsibilities during the COVID-19 period, this feminist study substantially contributes to the understanding by revealing how family members help women by getting involved in business activities. It further enriches the prevailing knowledge regarding assisting or hindering activities of family members concerning domestic activities that affect women's businesses during the pandemic.

In low-income and middle-income countries, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, the COVID-19 pandemic has had substantial implications for women's wellbeing. Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the gendered aspect of pandemics; however, addressing the gendered implications of the COVID-19 pandemic comprehensively and effectively requires a planetary health perspective that embraces systems thinking to inequalities. This Viewpoint is based on collective reflections from research done by the authors on COVID-19 responses by international and regional organisations, and national governments, in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa between June, 2020, and June, 2021. A range of international and regional actors have made important policy recommendations to address the gendered implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's health and wellbeing since the start of the pandemic. However, national-level policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have been partial and inconsistent with regards to gender in both sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, largely failing to recognise the multiple drivers of gendered health inequalities. This Viewpoint proposes that addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women in low-income and middle-income countries should adopt a systems thinking approach and be informed by the question of who is affected as opposed to who is infected. In adopting the systems thinking approach, responses will be more able to recognise and address the direct gendered effects of the pandemic and those that emerge indirectly through a combination of long-standing structural inequalities and gendered responses to the pandemic.

Diana was a heroic woman, a huntress. Women seeking capital are hunters rather than gatherers. They are hunting for capital in a traditionally male dominated arena.

PurposeUntil May 2003, there was no coherent national strategic approach to the development of women's enterprise in the UK although for decades researchers and support groups have been calling for a distinctive approach to supporting women business owners due to their different business ownership profiles such as different motivations for entering business ownership, reduced access to resources, particularly finance and longer incubation periods. Historically, a piecemeal approach has dominated the policy landscape with regard to small business development as well as female entrepreneurship. As part of the effort to provide a more coherent national strategic approach to women's enterprise policy, the government launched the Strategic Framework for Women's Enterprise (SFWE) in 2003, an umbrella document from which all initiatives to support female entrepreneurship acquire their momentum. The paper seeks to explore the SFWE.Design/methodology/approachTaking an intersectional approach, this paper explores the SFWE seeking to examine its provisions and how these relate to black and minority ethnic (BME) women in the light of the multiplicity of their experiences in terms of gender, ethnicity and class.FindingsThe paper concludes that the SFWE approaches the issue of BME women's entrepreneurship as a sub‐set of female entrepreneurship and therefore assumes that they will benefit from all gender‐based policies. The document treats women as a homogenous group and the acknowledgement of the diversity of female entrepreneurs, particularly BME women's experiences, is not reflected in the action priorities relating to business support provision, access to finance, childcare and caring responsibilities and transition from benefits to self‐employment.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper shows that there is a need for further research into the experiences of BME women in business in order to address their peculiar needs brought about by the intersectionality of ethnicity, “race”, gender and class in their lived experiences and to support this with policy provisions that are relevant to their needs. The recurrent problem is whether to concentrate on making mainstream business support provision and initiatives responsive to the needs of BME women or to define issues and develop independent initiatives that cater for these needs.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this paper is its focus on a significant but under researched group of women business owners in the context of an evidence‐based policy approach to entrepreneurship support and highlights the need for a more focused approach to their specific needs if the entrepreneurial potential of all women is to be harnessed.

This study identified and examined the implication of women entrepreneurs’ empowerment projects on poverty alleviation in South Africa. The significance of this research study is in the contribution of its results and recommendations to the survival of women-owned projects. The target demographic consisted of thirty (30) women-led SMMEs in Durban and Johannesburg. Participants had to have been in business for five years, be a small-scale company owner, be African, be between the ages of 25 and 40, be registered with a women's business body, and be a cooperative member. Participants who met seven unique criteria were chosen. The investigation brought several critical concerns to light. For example, 100% of the selected respondents agreed that better access to loans and financial support from government institutions would help women-owned businesses succeed. The respondents stated that they frequently are unaware of government institutions that give finance and support to women in business and what they offer to entrepreneurs because this information is not readily available to them. In this study, the purposive sampling strategy was applied. The primary method of gathering data was through interviews. The study covers a fair deal of ground, with five major themes emerging from the thorough findings from the qualitative data and analyses. The emerging themes: used were staffing and impact, support, training and investment, the value of women entrepreneurs' empowerment projects and recommendations. The partnership between government and women-led projects was agreed upon by 75% of respondents as a tool for poverty alleviation and job creation. Furthermore, 80% recognise the study's strategic location; Durban and Johannesburg are accessible and convenient for new and current businesses. This suggests that Durban provides a competitive edge. Corruption (tender processes or assessments), bribery, and a lack of justice in government operations, notably to issue business, were identified as problems hindering the growth of 85% of respondents' firms. Recommendations on how women projects identified can be better empowered and managed to support their businesses and alleviate poverty in this country were provided by the selected number of women entrepreneurs interviewed. Women entrepreneurs should work together with the Department of Small Business Development (DBSA) as it is mandated by the government to assist entrepreneurs and focus on small business development. DBSA should lead by gaining insight into women's entrepreneurship using a literature study. Furthermore, the DBSA should determine the obstacles and socio-cultural constraints affecting women's entrepreneurial activities in both provinces (Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal), analyse the unique challenges women entrepreneurs face in starting and growing their businesses, and execute/implement programs such as development and support programs for women entrepreneurs and their needs. Research on entrepreneurship indicates that women launch companies more frequently than men, particularly in developing nations. These studies demonstrate the vital role that women entrepreneurs play in many economies' efforts to create jobs, generate income, and increase revenue. They also demonstrate how their business endeavours help to lessen the wealth gap that currently exists between men and women.