Women empowerment through entrepreneurship in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal province

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is widely seen as a powerful agent for empowering women, as it provides opportunities for economic independence, social mobility, and increased autonomy. However, despite various policies to support women in South Africa, scholars consistently report that women face more obstacles to succeed in business than men, leading many of them to operate small and survival enterprises. While women entrepreneurship has garnered attention from numerous researchers, the empowerment efforts towards entrepreneurship have not been sufficiently examined. Hence, the current study sought to examine women empowerment through entrepreneurship in eThekwini Municipality. The study adopted a quantitative research approach underpinned by a positivistic philosophy. The data was collected using a closed-ended questionnaire from 349 people and was obtained through a random sampling technique. Using Excel and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29, descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to analyse the gathered data. The study's findings showed the scope of their female business practice was very limited and localised. This suggests that women are still largely on the periphery when it comes to major business transactions within the municipality. Moreover, the results of the study revealed that female entrepreneurs were extremely dissatisfied with the type and amount of support provided by the municipality. The primary area of dissatisfaction was the absence of financial, infrastructural, and educational support. Lastly, their unique obstacles included juggling traditional roles at home, inadequate business education training, and the seemingly intricate regulatory environment that proved difficult to navigate and comprehend completely. The current study has several practical implications for local, provincial, and national governments.