| Summary: | It is vital that a culture of entrepreneurship is developed in order to unleash the
economic potential of all people in South Africa. However, because of the South African
woman’s inherited gender role and historical imbalances, women entrepreneurs are
faced with unique challenges and barriers when attempting to establish and grow their
own businesses. Thus, this study investigated the unique challenges and barriers faced
by women when conducting entrepreneurial activities.
The literature study provided background information on entrepreneurship in general as
well as information on the importance of entrepreneurship to the economy and
constraints of entrepreneurship. The woman entrepreneur was explored in terms of her
characteristics, motivation to become an entrepreneur and the unique challenges she
had to face. The empirical study consisted of a questionnaire developed by the North–
West University, specifically the Potchefstroom Business School situated on the
Potchefstroom Campus. A total of 120 questionnaires were distributed and 87 were fully
completed and collected, which resulted in a response rate of 72.5%.
The data collected was statistically analysed using Statistica 10 (Statsoft, 2011). The
data from questionnaires was coded and investigated and then transformed to useful
outputs such as frequency tables. The frequency tables were used to draw conclusions
and to make recommendations regarding the development of women entrepreneurs in
South Africa. === Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.
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