Challenges and Opportunities of Women Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51137/wrp.ijarbm.778Keywords:
Women’s Entrepreneurship, Social Capital, South Africa, Scoping Review, Gender BarriersAbstract
Women’s entrepreneurship in South Africa is increasingly recognised as a critical driver of economic growth, employment creation, innovation, and social transformation. Despite this contribution, women entrepreneurs continue to encounter persistent structural and socio-cultural barriers, including restricted access to finance, gender bias within financial institutions, patriarchal norms, regulatory complexities, skills deficits, and work–family balance challenges. Understanding these constraints through the lens of social capital theory provides important insight into how networks, relationships, and social resources influence entrepreneurial success. This systematic scoping review critically examines women’s entrepreneurship in South Africa using social capital theory to explore the interconnected challenges, opportunities, and empowerment outcomes shaping women-owned enterprises. The review adopted the PRISMA framework to guide the identification, screening, and synthesis of relevant literature from academic databases. Following a rigorous selection process, 357 studies were included in the qualitative analysis. The findings reveal four interrelated themes: (1) persistent structural and socio-cultural barriers limiting women’s entrepreneurial participation and growth; (2) emerging opportunities in sectors such as tourism, creative industries, and digital entrepreneurship; (3) the enabling role of social capital in facilitating access to resources, information, and support networks; and (4) women’s entrepreneurship as a pathway to empowerment, leadership development, and social change. The review further demonstrates that women entrepreneurs contribute significantly to poverty reduction and inclusive development through investments in education, healthcare, and community initiatives. The study highlights the need for targeted policy interventions, digital empowerment, skills development, regulatory simplification, and strengthened social capital networks to unlock the full entrepreneurial potential of women and advance sustainable development and gender equality in South Africa.
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