THE DISCOURSE OF CULTURE, GENDER AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING GENDER DIVERSITY FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This paper is both a critique and a synthesis of earlier studies and recent research on gender, culture and entrepreneurship. The purpose is to achieve an understanding of two crucial areas in entrepreneurship and economic development: (i) the relationship between cultural values and entrepreneurship in the context of gendered entrepreneurial ideas and its praxis, and (ii) the constraints such cultural values and practices may have on the development of entrepreneurship in the context of Africa. The method of inquiry is derived from the tradition of critical theory and discursive praxis. In this paper, the discourse of the subject of entrepreneurship is subjected to critical inquiry. The paper examines the concept of culture, entrepreneurship and economic development and shows how the concept of entrepreneurship is socio-culturally constructed and seen through the lens of a male-dominated discourse. There is evidence that economic underdevelopment and a lack of entrepreneurial ethos in Africa are the results of indigenous cultural practices which are antithetical to the demands of modern economic practices. Moreover, a critical examination of the notion of entrepreneurship and its contiguous concepts indicates how theories and concepts of entrepreneurship privilege masculine oriented ideas to the exclusion of the feminine halve of the gender equation in the practice of entrepreneurship. Finally, strategies for managing gender diversity in order to achieve entrepreneurship development that is sustainable are recommended.