Conditions influencing a successful woman-owned business in Gauteng’s informal sector

Abstract: Over the course of South African history, racial and gender-based discrimination has proven to be prevalent, especially in terms the lack of business success for African women, as opposed to African men. This lack of business success may be influenced by socio-cultural patriarchal practices and norms, which reduce women to the level of second-class citizens (Witbooi & Ukpere, 2011). Despite the lack of formal education, societal recognition as breadwinners, through women taking the responsibility of fulfilling the supporting roles for husbands, partners, and extended families, women acquire skills and knowledge of managing a household. While these skills and knowledge are valued in society in general, it may be asked whether these skills and knowledge are acquired volitionally in terms of gaining independence, or out of obligation due to circumstance, especially when women are forced into the breadwinner role. A further question may be posed in terms of whether African women are able to shift their traditional gender-based role in the household in order to enter into, firstly, an informal business environment as entrepreneurs, and then into a formal business environment (Chinomona , Africa, Maziriri, & Africa, 2015; Magidimisha & Gordon, 2015). Is it possible that traditional child-rearing, cooking, household management have unknowingly formed the skills and knowledge base that will empower African women to enter the informal food provision market, to develop a small businesses that will provide an opportunity to move away from poverty, despite the historical disadvantages they have suffered (Witbooi & Ukpere, 2011; Dolan & Rajak, 2016)? If this is possible, then it becomes necessary to investigate the potential for entrepreneurial success for these women. This study identifies conditions for success for these female entrepreneurs, which have been absent in the extant literature in this field. The value of this study is the potential replication of these conditions, in addition to collaboration between government and the private sector, to provide sustainable business opportunities on a larger scale...M.Com. (Business Management