Parental Role Models' Influence on Female Students' Entrepreneurial Aspirations: Lessons Drawn from University of Botswana

This paper discusses the extent to which parental role models influence female students' aspirations to venture creation. Empirical research of 76 University of Botswana female students and a focus group discussion with 10 of the women from the same group suggest that female students regard their fathers, irrespective of their level of education as influential in their aspirations to business start-up. The paper extends parental role models research by separating mothers from fathers, to assess the extent of their level of education as influential determinant of female students' entrepreneurial aspirations. Understanding role models' influence on female students' entrepreneurial intentions can help policy makers, universities and gender-based entrepreneurial researchers to foster entrepreneurship within Botswana society