The Challenges of Growing Small Businesses - International Labour ...

5. Conclusions and challenges for women’s
enterprise
Having presented the key findings from the different elements of the WED Study, this
section reflects on the conclusions from the primary research, the key themes and issues
raised, and builds towards a set of recommendations to be presented in section 6.
What are the important lessons learnt from the experiences of women in more
substantial businesses that can further the development of women’s business in general?
Key themes and issues are discussed below utilizing in a systematic and consistent manner
the WED research’s conceptual (enhanced MAIR-SL) framework as a guide for this
discussion.
5.1 Challenging the stereotype of women
entrepreneurs
An important finding from the research is that there are many women entrepreneurs in
Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia who are starting and successfully growing formal
businesses that employ large numbers of people. Through running such businesses, these
women are building their personal, professional and technical competencies and
contributing to the incomes and well being of themselves, their households and their
communities. The experiences of these women begin to challenge the more typical and
somewhat stereotyped images of African women entrepreneurs as “micro”, “informal
sector”, and “subsistence operators”. In some respects the women entrepreneurs in the
WED Study are not the norm in their societies. As a group they had above average
education, formal work experience, exposure to business, and access to some resources.
Yet they are also typical in that the majority had children and other dependants, and hence
had family responsibilities to manage alongside their enterprises. In this respect the
women – in terms of their personal profiles and circumstances – can be labelled “above
average” or “more advantaged” as women and women entrepreneurs, rather than being
seen as a rare or exceptional elite group.
As the recent ILO report on Discrimination report states, “Cultural norms and societal
beliefs on gender roles and relations are known to play a role in determining how much,
and what type of education women and men acquire. (…) The persistent belief that
women have less need to earn an income than men may lead parents, especially in
situations of scarce resources, to invest more in education for boys than for girls. This
subsequently affects the quality and types of jobs women may be offered. Women’s
poorer economic outcomes reinforce, in turn, prevailing prejudices about what women are
best suited for. (…) This leads to systematic under-valuation of their economic
contribution, acts as a powerful disincentive for upgrading their skills and competencies
and perpetuates their poverty.” (ILO, 2003i) This context also affect women entrepreneurs
in identifying business ideas and opportunities, and in mobilizing the necessary resources
for enterprise.
5.2 Ingredients for a successful business
In building any business there is a need to bring together and manage a range of
different “ingredients”. These have been summarized in the WED Study’s research
framework under the headings of Motivation and determination, Abilities, Ideas and
markets, and Resources – or the MAIR framework.
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