Exploring the entrepreneurial interest among black women in an urban community

Abstract

The South African economy is faced with the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. The South African Government has prioritized support of small to medium enterprises as these have been identified as the main providers of job opportunities for the growing number of unemployed people of working age. However, literature shows a huge gap between male and female entrepreneurs in South Africa, even though women entrepreneurs are regarded as drivers of the economy. It is therefore imperative to investigate entrepreneurial interests among black women living in urban communities as their urbanization was significantly affected by apartheid. The primary objective of the study is to explore the entrepreneurial intentions of black women aged 18-64 years living in an urban community in the North-West Province, South Africa. This study follows a qualitative research approach, using semi-structured interviews to gather data. The secondary objectives of the study are:  To conduct a literature study on the concepts of urbanization and entrepreneurial interests among women from a global, regional and South African perspective. - To conduct a literature study on the concepts of urbanization and entrepreneurial interests among women from a global, regional and South African perspective. - To explore and describe the entrepreneurial interests of women living in an urban community. - To make recommendations for future studies on female entrepreneurship. To inform policymakers and also facilitate the development of positive entrepreneurial attitudes amongst women in urban communities.Findings show that black women living in townships are interested in starting their own businesses. Women in townships have high levels of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and are ready to improve their economic conditions. Self-confidence indicates positive signs for rapid development of entrepreneurial attributes through training. Findings also clearly indicate that the urban community under investigation has entrepreneurial role models, which makes the environment favourable for entrepreneurship. Women in this community can acquire knowledge through social contact with these entrepreneurs and pursue their entrepreneurial interests with a reduced sense of fear that the venture may fail. From the entrepreneurial interests they expressed, women in this urban community were interested in entrepreneurial activities like opening up beauty shops, retail shops and poultry projects. Finally, it was concluded that the socio-economic transformation of women in urban communities should be systematized and need-based entrepreneurship training programs should be organised with more emphasis on market orientation.