What drives women out of Entrepreneurship? The joint role of culture and access to finance
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Date
2014-08-20Author
Aiko, Dennis M
Ndemo, Bitange
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
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This paper seeks to explore the barriers women entrepreneurs encounter in developing
countries. Extending beyond qualitative assessment, the paper explores the magnitude
of cultural practices and other factor that impact on the development of female
entrepreneurship. The paper reviews existing literature on women entrepreneurship,
focusing on the major impediments that curtail women entrepreneurship in developing
countries. The paper reports on empirical evidence drawn from the review of literature
on women entrepreneurship. A total of 13 published articles were reviewed forming the
basis of the paper. Evidence from the reviewed articles reveal that cultural practices in
developing countries play a major role in driving women out of entrepreneurship and
by extension curtailing on their development. Women in developing countries are
disadvantaged by their lower levels of financial literacy and awareness. Access barriers
to financial resources are significant. Women entrepreneurs are still to overcome key
challenges like access to training in trade issues, operations management and
marketing, as well as access to good mentors and mentorship programs. Based on the
reviewed literature, practical implication for policy makers include; the pressing need
to develop a legal framework to protect female entrepreneurship, capacity building
programs for potential entrepreneurs, holistic training for potential women
entrepreneurs and most importantly, a creation and provision of credit facility
dedicated to women entrepreneurs.
Citation
Aiko, D. M. (2014). What drives women out of Entrepreneurship? The joint role of culture and access to finance. DBA Africa Management Review, 4(2).Publisher
University of Nairobi