DOI: 10.36347/sjebm.2016.v03i06.003

Pages: 321-327

This study contributes to the growing concern about the cultural aspects and social attitudes towards women entrepreneurs in emerging economies. The literature reveals that cultural and social implications besiege women entrepreneurs in their daily business undertakings. Given this background, this study‟s main purpose is to explore the cultural aspects and social attitudes towards women entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe. A mixed method approach that includes semi-structured interviews with cultural experts (3) and a survey of women entrepreneurs (30) was adopted. Focus groups of informed women entrepreneurs were also used (2 groups). All participants were drawn from the small business sector of Gweru urban, Zimbabwe, using a stratified sampling method. Findings from our study revealed the need to create awareness amongst women entrepreneurs, of their conventional, attitudes towards signals of self-pity, business capability, self-confidence, self-worthiness, capable and competitive women entrepreneurs, and equal opportunities in the marketplace. It also emerged that women entrepreneurs in this study culturally and socially believe that they were lesser commercial and economic competitors than their male counterparts. Women also asserted that they cannot make effective business decisions without the involvement of the men in their lives. There also exists a notion among women that their sexual counterparts had an upper role to play in their contractual obligations. These emerging insights create an informed basis for financial lending decisions by banks, micro lenders and other Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) investors. Further insights also provide Policy makers with practical information upon which to pave their informed decisions towards women-owned enterprises.