Culture And Women Entrepreneurship: A Case Study Of Nabdam District
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Date
2017-06
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University of Ghana
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the role of culture in shaping the
entrepreneurial behaviour of women. It is believed that the disparities in the levels of
entrepreneurship across countries may be caused by differences in culture. However, it
appears women entrepreneurship is more responsive to cultural norms and values than
male entrepreneurship. In Sub-Saharan Africa especially, most countries have strong
cultural practices that traditionally impose restrictions on women and their
entrepreneurial behaviour and also create additional barriers for women that make it
more difficult for them to start or grow business enterprises. Yet, most existing studies
on culture and women entrepreneurship focus on the extent to which national cultural
values affect women entrepreneurship by employing quantitative methods, with little
probing into “the how”: to give a better understanding of the phenomenon. This study
starts to fill this gap by employing a qualitative research approach with the case study
design, using face-to-face in-depth interview of 20 women entrepreneurs. The key
finding of the study is that culture acts as a ‘push’ motivational factor of women
entrepreneurship and largely limit the growth and expansion of women-owned
enterprises. This therefore calls for programmes that will stimulate the growth and
development of women-owned enterprises, factoring in the predominant cultural issues
affecting women entrepreneurs in this area. This study has significant value and it is
original since it is the first known study that looks at culture and women
entrepreneurship in the Nabdam district (Ghana). The study has unearthed some critical
ideas as to how certain cultural practices are shaping entrepreneurial orientation of
women in the Nabdam District.
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Thesis (MPhil)
Keywords
Culture, Women Entrepreneurship, Nabdam District, Ghana