Gender Culture and Entrepreneurship Development in Nigeria
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study was to investigate gender culture and entrepreneurship development in the economy of Nigeria. However, the specific objectives were:
- To examine the prevalence of gender culture and entrepreneurship development
- to determine the factors responsible for gender culture and entrepreneurship development
- to inquire about the effects of gender culture and entrepreneurship development on the economy of Nigeria
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter entails a review of extant literature on the broad concepts of women entrepreneurship and culture in relation to the objectives of the study. The meaning of entrepreneurship and culture is explored through a review of various definitions and conceptualizations presented by scholars. The chapter also reviews literature along the following thematic areas: the role of entrepreneurship in economic development, the concept of women/female entrepreneurship, gender variations in entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa, nature of women-owned enterprises, challenges of women entrepreneurs, dimensions of culture, as well as culture and entrepreneurship. The chapter also examines the stereotype threat theory and how it relates to the nature and current state of women entrepreneurship especially within the context of the study.
The Concept and Definitions of Entrepreneurship
Sexton (1988) questions if the field of entrepreneurship is growing or just getting bigger. This concern is iterated by Gartner (1990) as he probes if entrepreneurship is just a buzzword, or has particular characteristics that can be identified and studied. The relevance of these questions today cannot be overlooked since there is no single universally accepted definition of entrepreneurship in literature over the years (Adomako, Danso & Ampadu, 2015; Bruyat & Julien, 2001; Bula, 2012; Carland, Carland & Carland, 2002; Holzl, 2010). One reason for the lack of a universally accepted definition of entrepreneurship is its multidisciplinary nature. Researchers from
different academic fields such as economics, psychology, and sociology have used different philosophical assumptions in analysing and creating meaning for the field (Audretsch, Boente & Tamvada, 2007; Low & Macmillan, 1988; Penedar, 2009; Shane & Venkataraman, 2000).
The definition and meaning of entrepreneurship are disparate as per the views of Orhan & Scott (2001). According to Vesper (1982), entrepreneurship refers to the creation of new independent businesses. Carton, Hofer and Meeks (1998), present similar view of entrepreneurship by defining it as the means by which new organizations are created with their consequential job and wealth creation. To Zacharis et al. (2000), entrepreneurship is the attempt to create a new business enterprise or to expand an existing business by an individual, a team of individuals, or an established business. Huggins and Thompson (2014) further include the social embededness of entrepreneurship by defining it as the creation of new organizations which occurs as a context-dependent, social and economic process. This definition points that context and environment are crucial and serve as the bedrock to entrepreneurship.
However, to Reynolds (2005), entrepreneurship is the unearthing of opportunities and the ensuing creation of new economic activity, often through the construction of a new organization. Likewise, as per Onuoha (2007), entrepreneurship is the practice of beginning new organizations or invigorating mature organizations, normally in response to identified opportunities. It can also be considered as an act of starting, creating, building and expanding an enterprise or organization, building an entrepreneurial team and gathering other resources to exploit an opportunity in the market place for long-term gain (Van Aardt, Hewitt, Bendeman, Bezuidenhout & Van.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter entails the issues relating to the research methodology. It captures the approaches followed to find answers to the research questions posed by the study. Therefore, the chapter discusses the research paradigm, research design, research approach, data collection methods, sources and types of data, study population, sample size, sampling technique, data analysis, data presentation, as well as ethical considerations.
Research Approach
The selection of an appropriate research approach for a study is determined by the aim of the research in question and not just the researcher’s intuition or preference (Babbie, 2004; Fossey, Harvey, McDermott & Davidson, 2002). Scholars such as Vanderstoep and Johnston, (2009) and Denzin and Lincoln, (2000) propose two main methodological approaches that could be applied in research; quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative and qualitative research are considerably different in their procedures for data collection and analysis (Marshall, 1996; Saunders et al., 2007). According to Bell and Bryman (2007), while qualitative research is inductive, quantitative research is deductive in its observation on the connexion between research and theory
Qualitative Approach
According to Maanen (1983), a qualitative research is an approach that aims at describing, decoding, and translating phenomena in terms of meaning rather than frequency. To Malhotra and Dash (2013), qualitative research seeks to gain understanding of the underlying reasons and motivations for a phenomenon. It provides insight and understanding of complex psychosocial issues and are most useful for answering humanistic ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ questions (Fossey, et al, 2002).
Quantitative Approach
Quantitative research approach is used for testing objective theories by examining the relationship between or among determined variables (Creswell, 2014). The aim of quantitative studies is to test pre-determined hypotheses and produce generalizable results. This is made possible due to the huge samples used. Quantitative approach is more useful for answering mechanistic ‘what’ questions (Fossey et al., 2002).
Study Population
Every research work has a study population. Babbie (2008), defines a study population as the collection of elements from which the sample is essentially drawn. Therefore, the population for this study was all women entrepreneurs within the Lagos state.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Profile of Respondents
The profile of respondents presented in this study covers the age, marital status, educational level of respondents, as well as age, type, legal and employment status of business.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSISON & RECOMMENDATIONS
Conclusion of the Study
In line with the main objective of the study which is to find out the role of culture in women entrepreneurship, the following findings emerged:
Firstly, the study reveals that culture pushes women into entrepreneurship through the fear of some cultural practices and the desire to escape them, lack of value for girl-child education in the past, and the gender unevenness that has increased the poverty levels of women within the study area. Also, culture determines the size and sectors of business women engaged in; in this case small size businesses in low value-adding sectors such as retailing and service business. Due to gender stereotypes, inadequate recognition for women and their work, among others, women tend to be oriented towards and feel more comfortable operating smaller enterprises and in less risky or challenging sectors. In relation to the effects of culture on women entrepreneurship, the study ascertains that the culture of the Lagoss largely limit the growth and expansion of women-owned enterprises. The predominant social cohesion, limitation on the movement of women, role of women in families, and the negative gender stereotypes relating to entrepreneurship, among others are found as factors that pose barriers and restrictions to women and their businesses. However, strong family ties is found as key to success of women entrepreneurs.
Further, the contributions of women entrepreneurs mainly focus on human development. Though women entrepreneurs contribute to tax contributions, employment and infrastructural development of the community, contributions such as helping the needy, serving as role models, and reducing social vices, which border on human development are paramount and of importance to them. Hence, the betterment of the lives of the people in the community is of utmost importance to women entrepreneurs. Moreover, spousal support is discovered to be necessary in the triumph of women entrepreneurs. Not only do women entrepreneurs need spousal support at the inception of business, they need it throughout the lifespan of the business. The lack of it could lead to business discontinuance as well as business stagnation.
Again, the women entrepreneurship arena in the state is perceived as a reserve for the uneducated. This is due to the norm of educated women seeking only formal employment and ignoring self-employment. It is important to add that majority of the women entrepreneurs operate informal businesses. They however indicate they are unaware that business registration for formalization purposes differ from paying market tolls and going under health screening by sanitation officers. This ignorance, perhaps, is as a result of the lack or low levels of formal education among these women entrepreneurs. Lastly, the study finds that women entrepreneurship has the potential of reducing rural-urban migration in the state. Women entrepreneurs who engaged in this practice in the past have discontinued since they now run their own businesses.
The findings of this study as presented above is an indication that the study has achieved its main objective. It aimed to find out the role culture plays in women entrepreneurship. Hence, the study has been successful in achieving its objectives.
Nonetheless, based on the findings, the research concludes that the culture of the Lagoss is not favourable for the progress of women entrepreneurs. Though it creates a desire which they sought to satisfy through entrepreneurship, it works against the growth and expansion of their enterprises. This means that the culture breeds more necessity-driven women entrepreneurs who face limitations as a result of that same culture. Hence, the “female business under-performance” thesis could be a result of culture rather than inability of women. Women-owned businesses are generally underperforming as a result of cultural barriers and not because women entrepreneurs lack business and managerial skills or the strength and intelligence to run their own enterprises.
Recommendations
On the basis of the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made: Firstly, there is the need for an integrated approach for fostering female entrepreneurship that does not relegate the predominant cultural structures and gender unevenness due to culture. Whenever policy makers are rolling out programs to stimulate entrepreneurship, especially in rural areas and hence the Lagos state, attention should be paid to the specific cultural issues affecting women or women entrepreneurs. Hence, programs should be implemented to tackle such issues. For instance, in relation to the rural enterprise program by the Nigeria government, special programs or models could be established for only women and these programs could target making women break the status quo of operating in less profitable and low-value adding sectors by offering training in more challenging sectors in order to equip them for that.
Secondly, women entrepreneurs in the state need education on the importance of business registration and hence formalization since Nigeria is looking forward to formalize its informal sector. This education could enlighten them on the need for and the processes involved in business registration.
Thirdly, the opinion leaders in the various communities of the state need to promote a cultural orientation that is favourable to women entrepreneurship. The discrimination and gender stereotypes that affect the work of women in the communities should be minimized if not abolished, in order to promote women entrepreneurship. This is because women entrepreneurship appears to be the key to societal development.
Lastly, more educated women within the state need an entrepreneurial orientation in order to understand that entrepreneurship is not only an endeavour for the uneducated women. The state needs this intervention because in about a decade to come, more women are likely to gain higher education and this could lead to fewer women becoming entrepreneurs. This is likely to affect the constant efforts by government to promote entrepreneurship.
REFERENCES
- Abor, J., & Quartey, P. (2010). Issues in SME development in Nigeria and South Africa.
- International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, 39(6), 215-228.
- Achtenhagen, L., & Tillmar, M. (2013). Studies on women’s entrepreneurship from Nordic countries and beyond. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 5(1), 4-16.
- Acs, Z. J. (2007). How entrepreneurship is good for economic growth? a paper presented at the 25th economic conference of progress foundation cosponsored by American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) in Great Barrington. Garba, Fariastuti Djafar, Shazali Abu Mansor.
- Adom, K. (2014). Beyond the marginalization thesis: an examination of the motivations of informal entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa: insights from Nigeria. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 15(2), 113-125.
- Adom, K. (2015). Recognizing the contribution of female entrepreneurs in economic development in sub-Saharan Africa: Some evidence from Nigeria. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 20(01), 1550003.
- Adom, K., & Asare-Yeboa, I. (2016). An evaluation of human capital theory and female entrepreneurship in sub-Sahara Africa: some evidence from Nigeria. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 8(4).
- Adomako, S., Danso, A., & Ampadu, E. (2015). Institutional outlook of the entrepreneurial climate in Nigeria. International Journal of Social Economics, 42(6), 566-582.
- Ahl, H. (2006). Why research on women entrepreneurs needs new directions. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 30(5), 595-621.
