As one of the most impoverished provinces in South Africa with a high unemployment rate the Eastern Cape (Stats SA, 2011) was more suited for a study of this nature. In executing the research aims and objectives the study will be limited to focus specifically on one of the provinces cities, the Nelson Mandela Bay. The investigation will be focused on women street vendors mainly trading with fruits and vegetables, as well as other perishables. This industry was chosen because according to the Labour Force Survey (2000), there was an estimated 500,000 street traders operating in South Africa and more than 70 percent of them were found to be dealing in the trade of food items (Motala, 2002). The focus on women was driven by mainly by the fact that they constitute a majority of the street traders that are involed in the sale perishables/food items (Skinner, 2008).

Women remain notably underrepresented in management and leadership positions despite the enactment of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action policies. A critical literature review yielded evidence of a multitude of barriers inhibiting women’s career advancement beyond an apparent glass ceiling, but not which of the factors constitute the major barriers. A knowledge gap was further identified in research pertaining to characteristics of successful professional women and the environments that enable them to succeed in their professions. The purpose of the current study is to expand the empirical body of research and knowledge on factors contributing to the success of professional women, and of factors inhibiting the career progression of women in business. The study extends that of Punnett, Duffy, Fox, Gregory, Lituchy, Monserrat, Olivas-Luján and Santos (2006) and of Duffy, Fox, Punnett, Gregory, Lituchy, Monserrat, Olivas-Luján, Santos and Miller (2006), conducted in the Americas, to the South African context. The study suggests a conceptual framework for investigating factors that influence professional success of women. The developed conceptual framework of factors perceived to influence professional success was employed to empirically test the relationships between the variables presented. The empirical data collected was subjected to a series of statistical tests and the results considered in testing the hypotheses. Statistica 10 was employed to analyse the empirical data collected. Univariate and multivariate tests (MANOVA) were employed to determine whether sufficient evidence existed to make conclusions about hypotheses one to five of the study, relating to differences between two success groups of women based on their demographics and the selected variables. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (Pearson r) was employed to determine whether sufficient evidence existed to make conclusions about vi hypotheses six to ten, relating to significant relationships between the selected independent variables for the study and the professional success of women. Professional success was measured as job seniority level. For the pipeline success group, professional success was measured as seniority in relation to years in the employment sector and age. The contribution of the study to management science and possible limitations are discussed and recommendations made for future research. Recommendations for the development of women and for the social transformation of organisations are made. The study identifies a number of internal organisational support factors and government interventions which are recommended for inclusion in development initiatives for the achievement of gender equity.

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / Statistics from European region and sub-Saharan African countries, including South Africa, indicate that the construction industry is distinctly dominated by males and that women representation is very low. Literature indicates that gender-based discrimination, harsh work environment, insufficient knowledge about the construction industry and the shortage of women who are successful in construction are some of the barriers that discourage women from entering the industry. Therefore, this study focussed on the examination of the factors that contribute to the sustainability, or lack there-of women who are already in the construction industry. This study sought to find out how the women entrepreneurs who are in the industry of construction sustain themselves regardless of the many challenges they face. The study applied qualitative design and used of an interview guide as a tool for collecting data in semi-structured interviews with women entrepreneurs in the Capricorn district of Limpopo Province. Data was analysed using the thematic content analysis method. The discovery was that women entrepreneurs tend to give away tenders to male counterparts in order for them to do the actual work. The giving away of contracts in turn builds the experience of their male counterparts and their businesses which contributes to the women not being able to have confidence and be sustainable in the construction industry. Women entrepreneurs who managed to sustain themselves in the industry for longer periods attribute their sustainability on hiring the right people with the right skills and qualifications. These women entrepreneurs recommend that support programmes should be made available and accessible to women in the industry as well as those who are entering so that they do not fall into the trap of giving away or surrendering contracts. This study recommends that new women entrants into the industry should be mentored by women entrepreneurs who are actually doing the job to ensure their sustainability in the industry. It also recommends that the existing structures be more visible and to strengthen their support of these women.

The objective of the study was to explore and to describe the extent to which the SIDO/UNIDO WED Programme had empowered participating women microentrepreneurs in the food-processing sector in Tanzania. The research question was: To what extent have SIDO/UNIDO WED Programme-supported women microentrepreneurs in the food-processing sector been empowered? The justification for the study was that most studies on women's empowerment have been on micro credit-based microenterprises and almost none on entrepreneurship-based ones. Furthermore, there is a very scanty coverage of Africa in women's empowerment research. Theoretical perspectives in gender and gender relations in accordance with the feminist empowerment paradigm as it is influenced by the international women's movement and empowerment guided the study. The study used a cross-sectional and causal-comparative research design. The sample comprised 78 women microentrepreneurs: 39 programme-supported and 39 others constituted a control group. Participation in the SIDO/UNIDO WED Programme was the independent variable. Women's empowerment was the outcome of interest with the following indicators as dependent variables: freedom to use own income; contribution to household income; ownership of assets; involvement in business associations; participation in trade fairs; freedom of movement and awareness of injustice. Measurement of women's empowerment was on three dimensions: economic, socio-cultural and psychological in two arenas: individual/household and community. Qualitative and quantitative primary data were collected using in-depth interviews and questionnaires. A constant comparative approach in qualitative data analysis and discussion was adopted. At first level of quantitative data analysis, descriptive statistical procedures involving cross tabulations and frequency distributions were used.Then chi-square tests and bivariate correlation analysis were performed. The findings indicated that WED Programme-supported women had become empowered in almost all indicators. However, they lacked control over their assets like their counterparts in the control group. The findings on women's freedom of movement show that it is an area where traditional ideologies, as structural factors, are resistant to changes normally influenced by women's income. The majority of interviewees from both categories were of the view that husbands and wives should have equal say in decision making and division of labour between husbands and wives should also be equal. / Development Studies / D. Litt et Phil. (Development Studies)

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Management: Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Johannesburg, 2015 (March 2015) / The purpose of this research is to investigate human capital and social capital as determinants to access to finance for women SMME owners in South Africa. The study focuses on Human capital which encompasses social capital and looks at access to finance within the South African context. It does not include all other factors discussed in entrepreneurship theory. The major theories underlying this research are Social Network theory and Human capital theory. Human capital theory is viewed as formal education, skills attained and knowledge gained through informal knowledge such as prior work experience, industry experience and apprenticeship opportunities. These variables are assessed to see if they determine access to finance; which is a barrier to entrepreneurship in South Africa for SMME owners. This constraint is stressed in all The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) reports from 2009 to 2014. This paper focuses on a single gender; females and assesses these capital factors as determinants to access finance for their entrepreneurial activity. Social capital as a factor is studied as a component of Human capital and two variables are assessed: strong ties and weak ties. Access to finance is evaluated as both debt and equity for entrepreneurs. Bivariate analysis was used to test the theories for results. The results showed an importance of human and social capital for entrepreneurs in running their businesses however not all human and social capital factors were confirmed to entirely determine access to finance for the women entrepreneurs. This study can potentially assist SMME owners within South Africa, financial institutions, policy makers and support organisations for women-owned businesses with insight into what determines accessing finance for business. / MT2016

The objective of the study was to explore and to describe the extent to which the SIDO/UNIDO WED Programme had empowered participating women microentrepreneurs in the food-processing sector in Tanzania. The research question was: To what extent have SIDO/UNIDO WED Programme-supported women microentrepreneurs in the food-processing sector been empowered? The justification for the study was that most studies on women's empowerment have been on micro credit-based microenterprises and almost none on entrepreneurship-based ones. Furthermore, there is a very scanty coverage of Africa in women's empowerment research. Theoretical perspectives in gender and gender relations in accordance with the feminist empowerment paradigm as it is influenced by the international women's movement and empowerment guided the study. The study used a cross-sectional and causal-comparative research design. The sample comprised 78 women microentrepreneurs: 39 programme-supported and 39 others constituted a control group. Participation in the SIDO/UNIDO WED Programme was the independent variable. Women's empowerment was the outcome of interest with the following indicators as dependent variables: freedom to use own income; contribution to household income; ownership of assets; involvement in business associations; participation in trade fairs; freedom of movement and awareness of injustice. Measurement of women's empowerment was on three dimensions: economic, socio-cultural and psychological in two arenas: individual/household and community. Qualitative and quantitative primary data were collected using in-depth interviews and questionnaires. A constant comparative approach in qualitative data analysis and discussion was adopted. At first level of quantitative data analysis, descriptive statistical procedures involving cross tabulations and frequency distributions were used.Then chi-square tests and bivariate correlation analysis were performed. The findings indicated that WED Programme-supported women had become empowered in almost all indicators. However, they lacked control over their assets like their counterparts in the control group. The findings on women's freedom of movement show that it is an area where traditional ideologies, as structural factors, are resistant to changes normally influenced by women's income. The majority of interviewees from both categories were of the view that husbands and wives should have equal say in decision making and division of labour between husbands and wives should also be equal. / Development Studies / D. Litt et Phil. (Development Studies)

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration (Entrepreneurship))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Given good conditions, women can run businesses, support their families and the community, and contribute to economic growth. The lack of women’s involvement in entrepreneurship is a huge loss to the nation and society. Women make up 51.83% of the population in Rwanda, but are underrepresented in business – largely due to social customs, religion, and cultural beliefs. Society perceives women as too weak to conduct business, and prefers them to be confined to housekeeping activities and dependency on men. Interestingly, literature indicates that involving women in entrepreneurial activities help. Despite this, women in Rwanda have broken the barrier and started up business. However, they face many challenges; their businesses remain small scale compared to their counterparts. The aim of this study is to determine the challenges experienced by women entrepreneurs in Kigali. This research is significant because it attempts to identify the challenges to entrepreneurship in Kigali, by allowing the voices of women entrepreneurs to be heard. The study uses a quantitative descriptive approach. The target population was women in formal and informal business in the districts of Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Nyarugenge in the city of Kigali. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 398 women entrepreneurs after obtaining their informed written consent. The data was analysed using recent Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. Findings were interpreted and discussed in a numerical narrative featuring frequency, percent, valid percent, cumulative percent, mean, and standard deviation. The results show that women entrepreneurs in Kigali experience more challenges, among others including: High shop rentals, lack of start-up capital, lack of collateral to obtain a loan, high taxes, high interest rate and high transport, and a lack of information technology skills. This study has uncovered that women entrepreneurs face a lot of challenges while running their business in Kigali. Fortunately, the solution is within reach. For instance, women entrepreneurs themselves, family, society, government, stakeholder, and researchers should work together to eradicate these challenges. Women entrepreneurs should work together in cooperatives to minimise shop rentals, possible access to capital and so forth. In addition, they can leverage their experience and know-how.

D.Litt. et Phil. / The growing number of married women with children who enter the work force is widely documented. In addition, the last decade has seen the number of self-employed women increase dramatically. The homemaker role, which remains an important adult attainment fora large segment of the female population for at least some portion of their adult lives, has received little attention. The career of the homemaker is omitted both in the traditional definition of the labour force and by the career counselling profession. Because of the rise in women's labour force activity there has been increased concern with the psychological implications of occupying family and work roles simultaneously. Married women who obtain employment typically experience role expansion and such expansion has potential repercussions for the women themselves, for their families and for their employing institutions. Although these women are assuming the demanding role of employee, they are typically not free to relinquish any of their previous traditional roles - the major responsibility for household work and parenting chores still appears to be the province of women. Presently, the empirical evidence of the psychological effects of maternal employment is equivocal, suggesting both positive and negative effects are possible. On the one hand paid employment has been related to increased self-esteem, status and life satisfaction in working mothers. On the other hand, maternal employment has also been associated with role conflict, life dissatisfaction and family stress. A wide variety of correlates of home-career conflict has been studied. The accumulation of empirical studies has not, however, been integrated in a way which advances understanding of the interrelationships of variables associated with home-career conflict. The purpose of the present study was to investigate from within an integrated framework the relationship between work and family domains and their impact on the life satisfaction of women who re-enter the labour market, women entrepreneurs and homemakers.

The purpose of local economic development (LED) is to build up the economic capacity of a community, to improve its economic future and the quality of life for all. It is a process by which public, business and nongovernmental sector partners work collectively to create better conditions for economic growth and employment generation (World Bank, 2006). In achieving the above definition of LED by the World Bank, the participation of community members in this process cannot be over emphasized. Women entrepreneurs are a driving force in today’s modern world. Most researches on women entrepreneurs in developed countries have showed that there are significant improvements in the economic growth of these countries as a result of the entrepreneurial activities of these women. However, there are limited statistics on the impact of women entrepreneurs in developing countries. The context of this research area is the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM). This research makes a contribution to the existing body of knowledge about the promotion of LED through the participation of women entrepreneurs in NMBM. A group of women entrepreneurs in the metro completed a questionnaire. The aim of the questionnaires was to help identify their nature of business, years of being in business and most importantly, challenges each one of them encounter in carrying out their business operations and in developing their entrepreneurial skills. The research methods used in the study are the qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative method approach is used in the literature review. The literature review formed the conceptual basis against which the information gained from questionnaires were analysed. The quantitative method included the use of questionnaires. The data collected in this study revealed that the activities of women entrepreneurs contributed in their own little way to the growth and development of the metro. The study further reveals that finance is one of the major challenges of the women entrepreneurs as supported by the findings in the literature review. Therefore, if access to finance and support system are made readily available for women entrepreneurs, they would be able to make a significant impact in the development of the metro and nation at large. In conclusion, the researcher has been able to identify some of the challenges women entrepreneur face through the experience of the respondents in the study. The researcher has also been able to demonstrate how the aims and the objectives of the study have been met.

Women are a significant presence in today's workforce; however, few rise to the top management ranks. Therefore, there is a critical need to better understand the factors that facilitate their success. This study examined several variables that may contribute to women's objective (income, span of control, promotions) and subjective (self-reported satisfaction) success. Predictive variables include human capital (training, experience), individual (perception of promotability, motivation for training), organizational (supervisor gender, percentage of male subordinates) and power (extent of supervisory authority) factors. Participants were members of the National Longitudinal Surveys Young Women cohort, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data were analyzed through simultaneous multiple regression analysis, and the results indicated that education was significantly related to income for all women. For women in management positions, their degree of supervisory power was also predictive of higher income, yet negatively associated with job satisfaction. Further, their span of control was positively influenced by the amount of time they spent in on-the-job training. The implications for women's career advancement, study limitations, and future research possibilities are also discussed.