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An Empirical Insight into the Factors Affecting the Oscillation of Women Between Self- and Paid Employment in South Africa

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The Palgrave Handbook of African Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Discourse in entrepreneurship has highlighted the importance of understanding the entrepreneurial motivation of women. Although prior literature documents significant similarity in women motivations, there is limited understanding of what motivates South African women to oscillate between self-employment and paid employment. Therefore, this study aims to highlight these factors by exploring the career mobility perspective with expectancy, motivational and work–life balance perspectives. The study utilises the interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA) to understand the influencing factors of women’s oscillation from self- to paid employment in the South African socio-economic and cultural context. Sample was drawn from a population of women entrepreneurs in South Africa via interviews and focus group discussions. The results show that a major factor influencing women decision to engage in entrepreneurship is the need to achieve work–life balance. The inability to secure financial capital, gender bias, social and cultural norms are the most significant challenges women face in South Africa, thus leaving them with no option than to seek sustenance in paid employment while maintaining their businesses by the side.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Content theory focuses on the needs that motivate people and cause then to sustain stop certain behaviours. Content theories imply that individuals are unique and have unique sources of motivation. It is premised on the fact that the absence of motivational factors creates tension that can trigger negative behavioural performance.

  2. 2.

    Explore how behaviour is caused, sustained or stopped by the motivational factors. There are four predominant process theories that include reinforcement, expectancy, equity and goal setting; and that individual choices are based on preferences, reward factors and sense of accomplishment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Bridget Irene

  2. GPROM Academic and Management Solutions, Paderborn, Germany

    Promise Opute Abdullah

  3. Centre for Enterprise and Innovation, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

    William K. Murithi

Authors
  1. Bridget Irene
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  2. Promise Opute Abdullah
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  3. William K. Murithi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bridget Irene .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management & Entrepreneurship, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

    Oluwaseun Kolade

  2. Department of Management & Entrepreneurship, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

    David Rae

  3. De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

    Demola Obembe

  4. De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

    Kassa Woldesenbet Beta

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Irene, B., Abdullah, P.O., Murithi, W.K. (2022). An Empirical Insight into the Factors Affecting the Oscillation of Women Between Self- and Paid Employment in South Africa. In: Kolade, O., Rae, D., Obembe, D., Woldesenbet Beta, K. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of African Entrepreneurship. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75894-3_22

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