Sindani, Tabitha ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8638-3767 (2019) Factors influencing the growth of rural female entrepreneurs: a case of Vihiga County, Kenya. In: 14th MBAcademy International Business Conference: Management Businesses Organisation and Innovation, 21st - 22nd August 2019, Hotel Fron Maritim, Passeig de Garcia, Barcelona, Spain. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The context of this paper will be based upon research investigating the factors influencing the growth of rural female entrepreneurs in Vihiga County, Kenya. Currently, research presents a dominant focus on women’s entrepreneurship as instrumental to sustainable economic growth and poverty alleviation in both developed and developing countries, which is both valued and expected. This body of literature predominantly focusses on making comparisons on performance and growth of women’s businesses vis à vis those of their male counterparts. Often times, female entrepreneurs are regarded as hanging on to the tail end of underperformance as their businesses are labelled as feminine, ‘lifestyle’, smaller, of low growth potential, and less profitable. Some studies focus on the personal characteristics and shortcomings of women themselves to explain the reasons underpinning their enterprises’ stuntedness. However, this view is lopsided and ignores external structural factors constraining their growth.To address the study’s objective of investigating factors influencing the growth of rural female entrepreneurs, a qualitative research methodology is adopted, 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews with female entrepreneurs in two villages - Bunyore and Mbale were conducted. The main findings indicate that socio-cultural factors such as patriarchal structures that define women’s roles and denies them property ownership rights which hinders accessibility to finance are the main factors hindering their growth. Equally, the concept of women-to-women opposition not present in prior literature emerged, revealing that female entrepreneurs face an apparent hostility from fellow women in the community who are not entrepreneurs for defying their culturally assigned role of homemaking.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	socio-cultural, access to finance, structural barriers, influences, female entrepreneurs, Rural Kenya
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HF Commerce J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Greenwich Business School Greenwich Business School > Executive Business Centre
Related URLs:	Organisation
Last Modified:	13 Mar 2025 16:19
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/49995

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