Lebanese Women in Business: Evidence from a Challenging and Evolving Lebanese...CSCJournals
This study aims to investigate the effect of corporate governance, corporate values and glass ceiling on opportunities and obstacles that face the career progress of women as compared to that of men in the Lebanese society. Accordingly, the study aims to represent a profile of Lebanese business women and their business, to explore gender differences in entrepreneurial characteristics in Lebanon, to challenge gender stereotypes, to identify problems unique to Lebanese women in setting up and running their business, to establish factors that lead to higher levels of Women entrepreneurship in Lebanon to suggest policies that may enhance the national level of Women business activity in Lebanon, and to discuss how Lebanese women can stay competitive.
Prospects and Threats of Women Entrepreneur in SME Sectors in Urban Area Bang...IOSRJBM
The aim of this paper is to explore the challenges faced by the women entrepreneur in Sylhet city as well as also exploring their prospects. Women also play a vital role for the growth of the economy especially in small and medium sector. The SME sector has higher growth rate than the industrial sector. It contributes big role for developing entrepreneurship and labor absorption. It also plays a vital role in economy and social development. it's contribute significantly for entrepreneurship development, employment generation and utilize the potentiality. Women in Bangladesh are still remaining vulnerable to poverty and social deprivation. Although the situation is now changing. A woman has to invest a lot of time for household work and child rearing but they are investing the extra time to business sector to support their family and also utilizing their hidden potentiality. A structure questionnaire has been used to collect data by survey and the target population is women entrepreneur in Sylhet city. This city has been choosing because a huge amount of remittance comes from abroad. In this study also try to find out the motivational factors that induce them to be entrepreneur. finally put some suggestion to minimize the challenges.
Mediating Role of Training on the relationship between MicroFinance Factors a...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM) is a double blind peer reviewed International Journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of business and managemant and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications inbusiness and management. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
Lebanese Women in Business: Evidence from a Challenging and Evolving Lebanese...CSCJournals
This study aims to investigate the effect of corporate governance, corporate values and glass ceiling on opportunities and obstacles that face the career progress of women as compared to that of men in the Lebanese society. Accordingly, the study aims to represent a profile of Lebanese business women and their business, to explore gender differences in entrepreneurial characteristics in Lebanon, to challenge gender stereotypes, to identify problems unique to Lebanese women in setting up and running their business, to establish factors that lead to higher levels of Women entrepreneurship in Lebanon to suggest policies that may enhance the national level of Women business activity in Lebanon, and to discuss how Lebanese women can stay competitive.
Prospects and Threats of Women Entrepreneur in SME Sectors in Urban Area Bang...IOSRJBM
The aim of this paper is to explore the challenges faced by the women entrepreneur in Sylhet city as well as also exploring their prospects. Women also play a vital role for the growth of the economy especially in small and medium sector. The SME sector has higher growth rate than the industrial sector. It contributes big role for developing entrepreneurship and labor absorption. It also plays a vital role in economy and social development. it's contribute significantly for entrepreneurship development, employment generation and utilize the potentiality. Women in Bangladesh are still remaining vulnerable to poverty and social deprivation. Although the situation is now changing. A woman has to invest a lot of time for household work and child rearing but they are investing the extra time to business sector to support their family and also utilizing their hidden potentiality. A structure questionnaire has been used to collect data by survey and the target population is women entrepreneur in Sylhet city. This city has been choosing because a huge amount of remittance comes from abroad. In this study also try to find out the motivational factors that induce them to be entrepreneur. finally put some suggestion to minimize the challenges.
Mediating Role of Training on the relationship between MicroFinance Factors a...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM) is a double blind peer reviewed International Journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of business and managemant and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications inbusiness and management. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
Barriers to Development and Progress of Entreprenurs: Case of Lesothopaperpublications3
Abstract: This paper gives an analysis on the barriers to development and progress of entrepreneurs in Lesotho. It adopts the use of primary data which was collected through personal interview with structured questionnaire and direct observations. The results reveal that all entrepreneurs regardless of gender are equally faced with economic barriers which comprise lack of finance and problems of markets. Furthermore, the socio-cultural factors which involve negative view of society towards women and individual familial factors especially family problems basically affect women; these could be attributed to the fact that women are liable for domestic responsibilities in their families. However, structural barriers are observed to have an insignificant impact on development and progress of Lesotho entrepreneurs. Following these findings, through trade organizations, the government could assist in supporting the establishment of mentoring networks facilitating the development of the emerging entrepreneurs, as well as providing training workshops on women empowerment. Also, mechanisms to support entrepreneurs and assist them in gaining access to international markets should be developed.
It’s been 50 years since the first equal pay act in Australia and it shouldn’t take another 50 years to achieve gender pay equity. Chifley Research Centre’s newest research report examines the policies needed to close the gender pay gap sooner. See our report here.
Factors affecting employment during crisis in private businesses in Kurdistan IJAEMSJORNAL
The main aim of this study is to investigate the critical factors that effecting employment during crisis in private businesses in Kurdistan. An empirical quantitative technique utilized to analyze the present research. The researcher applied a random sampling method, where all respondents had equal chances of being selected for the sample. The research was carried out at 18 private businesses in Erbil. The population of this research was approximately 341 employees, accordingly to cover the entire research population; 100 surveys were distributed but 84 forms were collected that were accomplished accurately. The results showed that the highest value was for economic factor this means that economic is strongly related to employment and has strong influence on employment during crisis in private businesses in Kurdistan.
Over the past century, The Rockefeller Foundation has remained true to the pursuit of health access for all mankind. We have helped to build and develop schools of medicine and public health, contributed to new medicines and treatments that helped cure patients and advanced the field of health. Our long history has given the foundation a unique place in the field of global health. We have the ability and privilege to convene great minds, catalyze new initiatives, identify new opportunities and increase global health and wellbeing.
Weeks address at Global Women's Summit, 16 November 2001Womenable
The PowerPoint slides used by Womenable President and CEO Julie Weeks during her opening keynote address at the Kauffman/FastTrac Global Women's Summit.
Socio-Economic Status Of Working Women In NalgondaKam Raju
Socioeconomic status (SES) is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or family's economic and social position in relation to others.
When analysing a family's SES, the household income, earners' education, and occupation are examined, as well as combined income, whereas for an individual's SES only their own attributes are assessed.
However, SES is more commonly used to depict an economic difference in society as a whole.
Barriers to Development and Progress of Entreprenurs: Case of Lesothopaperpublications3
Abstract: This paper gives an analysis on the barriers to development and progress of entrepreneurs in Lesotho. It adopts the use of primary data which was collected through personal interview with structured questionnaire and direct observations. The results reveal that all entrepreneurs regardless of gender are equally faced with economic barriers which comprise lack of finance and problems of markets. Furthermore, the socio-cultural factors which involve negative view of society towards women and individual familial factors especially family problems basically affect women; these could be attributed to the fact that women are liable for domestic responsibilities in their families. However, structural barriers are observed to have an insignificant impact on development and progress of Lesotho entrepreneurs. Following these findings, through trade organizations, the government could assist in supporting the establishment of mentoring networks facilitating the development of the emerging entrepreneurs, as well as providing training workshops on women empowerment. Also, mechanisms to support entrepreneurs and assist them in gaining access to international markets should be developed.
It’s been 50 years since the first equal pay act in Australia and it shouldn’t take another 50 years to achieve gender pay equity. Chifley Research Centre’s newest research report examines the policies needed to close the gender pay gap sooner. See our report here.
Factors affecting employment during crisis in private businesses in Kurdistan IJAEMSJORNAL
The main aim of this study is to investigate the critical factors that effecting employment during crisis in private businesses in Kurdistan. An empirical quantitative technique utilized to analyze the present research. The researcher applied a random sampling method, where all respondents had equal chances of being selected for the sample. The research was carried out at 18 private businesses in Erbil. The population of this research was approximately 341 employees, accordingly to cover the entire research population; 100 surveys were distributed but 84 forms were collected that were accomplished accurately. The results showed that the highest value was for economic factor this means that economic is strongly related to employment and has strong influence on employment during crisis in private businesses in Kurdistan.
Over the past century, The Rockefeller Foundation has remained true to the pursuit of health access for all mankind. We have helped to build and develop schools of medicine and public health, contributed to new medicines and treatments that helped cure patients and advanced the field of health. Our long history has given the foundation a unique place in the field of global health. We have the ability and privilege to convene great minds, catalyze new initiatives, identify new opportunities and increase global health and wellbeing.
Weeks address at Global Women's Summit, 16 November 2001Womenable
The PowerPoint slides used by Womenable President and CEO Julie Weeks during her opening keynote address at the Kauffman/FastTrac Global Women's Summit.
Socio-Economic Status Of Working Women In NalgondaKam Raju
Socioeconomic status (SES) is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or family's economic and social position in relation to others.
When analysing a family's SES, the household income, earners' education, and occupation are examined, as well as combined income, whereas for an individual's SES only their own attributes are assessed.
However, SES is more commonly used to depict an economic difference in society as a whole.
Challenges Faced By Women Entrepreneurs In IndiaLatha setna
In the current business world, women entrepreneurs are playing a vital role and they have become important part of the economic development and social progress. Development Compared to other countries the development of women entrepreneurship is very low in India. The educated women have to go a long way to achieve equal rights and position because traditions are deep rooted in Indian society where the sociological set up has been a male dominated one. Despite all the social hurdles, Indian women entrepreneurs stand tall from the rest of the crowd and are applauded for their achievements in their respective field. This paper focuses on women entrepreneurs, reasons women become entrepreneurs, the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and suggestions for the growth of women entrepreneurs.
Bangladesh has enormous young women and productive workforce that will get an opportunity to involve in Small
and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector. This paper aims to investigate the factors that affect women involvement as
entrepreneur in SMEs sector, economic development and its impact on poverty reduction in Bangladesh. The study
adopts the quantitative analysis of possible factors that may affect women involvement as entrepreneur in SMEs
sector, economic development and its impact on poverty reduction. By using Convenient Sampling Technique, the
data has been collected from 300 respondents. Data are analyzed using frequency, mean, standard deviation and
regression analysis. From the outcomes of descriptive statistics analysis, the study is found that business experience,
business plan, practical knowledge, security, interest & hobby, others business house profits, adequate capital,
business registration procedures, qualified leaders & trainers, and bank & financial institutions support are affected
women involvement as entrepreneur in SMEs sector. From the results of regression analysis, this research is found
that economical, psychological, knowledge & skills, family, and legal & administrative as the essential factors,
which significantly affect women involvement as entrepreneur in SMEs sector in Bangladesh. The research is
revealed that women entrepreneur, long-term business success and employment creation as the vital factors, which
notably affect economic development. The study is also revealed that economic development as the critical factor,
which considerably affects poverty reduction. This examination may contribute to these women entrepreneur issues.
The results of this investigation can be applied by government and non-government organization, public institutions,
rural development academy, policymakers and even researchers to inspire women involvement as entrepreneur in
SMEs sector. The researchers strongly expect that this investigation creates value to the literature because it uses a
conceptual framework to give explanation the factors that affect women involvement as entrepreneur in SMEs
sector, economic development and its impact on poverty reduction in Bangladesh.
Abstract: This paper explores the socio-economic situation of women in Lesotho. Based on secondary data obtained from Bureau of Statistics, Land Administration Authority, country analytical annual reports ministerial reports as well as Lesotho government website; it analyzes the status of Basotho women with regard to access and control over economic opportunities. Main indicators discussed include access and control of resources like in education and land ownership, participation in decision making e.g. political participation. The issue of women and discriminatory laws is also addressed. This study is restricted to the relevant and available data and information on access on August 2015. The statistical data in this paper suggest that female is a dominating gender as far as land ownership is concerned. With regard to economic decision making and political participation, there is gender imbalance with men as a dominating gender. Women have been victims of discriminatory laws which denied them opportunity to own or inherit land and immovable property and hold senior positions in companies. These laws were later amended although gaps still exists. The finding shows that Lesotho has relatively high literacy and net primary school enrolment, but with a reversed gender gap signifying discrepancy to the advantage of girls. Gender related policies should be formulated and implemented so as to increase women’s representation and inclusiveness in political participation and economic decision-making. Given the responsibilities of women, improvement of women’s socio economic status in all sectors will not only be of essence to women alone, but also families and communities as well. This will also enhance women empowerment and contribute to inclusive sustainable economic growth, reduce poverty and social injustices and other forms of inequalities.Measures need to be developed to improve access to education for boys so as to ensure a balanced human development outcome. Amendments on Laws of Lerotholi should be a well understood public knowledge.
Problems and Prospects of Woman Entrepreneurship – A Review of LiteratureIOSRJBM
Any nation, to grow today in the world of intense competition, requires entrepreneurs at the core of the economic development. Entrepreneurial activities and entrepreneurship has been dominated by males since ages. However, in the era of information technology, the women have become more aware and better educational facilities have enabled them to venture into this male dominated space. The women today have emerged as a key player in economic development of the nations. However this transformation of society is far from over and the women entrepreneurs not only face difficulties while starting up an enterprise but also during the running phase. Globally, they have become a key player in sustaining both social development and economic growth. However, in a country like India where almost 50% of population is made up of women, the number of enterprises run by women entrepreneurs is only 7.36% or out of 361.76 Lakh enterprises in the MSME sector, only 26.61 Lakh have women at the top. There are a number of socio-economic hurdles faced by the women while they attempt to venture into setting up and running their own enterprises. Hence, the paper discusses the status of the Women Entrepreneurs and their importance. Also, an attempt is made to identify the challenges faced by these women entrepreneurs, by reviewing various literatures and provide some suggestion for overcoming these obstacles
Analyzing Female Entrepreneurship in A Global Context- The Challenges And The...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science is a double blind peer reviewed International Journal edited by International Organization of Scientific Research (IOSR).The Journal provides a common forum where all aspects of humanities and social sciences are presented. IOSR-JHSS publishes original papers, review papers, conceptual framework, analytical and simulation models, case studies, empirical research, technical notes etc.
Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs: Challenges, Incentives and Achievements IndicatorsIOSR Journals
Women entrepreneurship in Nigeria is the focus of this study. Some women entrepreneurs in Lagos state, Delta State and Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) of Nigeria has been selected for the purpose of this study. The study identifies challenges encountered by women entrepreneurs during business establishment and business life cycle and issues arising between work and family were examined. The study also considered the likely incentives for these entrepreneurs for starting their own businesses and factors which account for their success in business. There are similarities between the challenges faced by women entrepreneur in Nigeria which is a developing country, when compared their counterparts in European countries. However, issues between work and family in Nigeria for women entrepreneur are less significant and these likely to account for their being able to start their own businesses and level of achievements in business
An Investigation of the Effect of Challenges Encounters Female Entrepreneuria...AkashSharma618775
The participation of females in entrepreneurial activities is such a satisfying ideal that has proven to
convey positive contribution towards economic process. To ascertain this; the subject matter has presented herein.
Such presentation has been done by giving detailed analysis of the effects of challenges encounters female
entrepreneurial taking Malaysia, which is one of the transformed economies as the country of context. There is a
promising growth in entrepreneurial activities in the recent years in Malaysia; yet, this growth has seen to have
many male entrepreneurs leaving females with minimal rate of participation. There are challenges identified,
evaluated and analyzed to be the very reasons that leads to this scenario. The study employed three challenges
called economic, resource and cultural extracted from Isa et al., (2018); the challenges which are henceforth
implemented as independent variables (IVs) of the study. The study has found the significant correlation between
each of these IVs (EoC) and its subject matter; that’s female entrepreneurial (FE) in Malaysia the DV with the
significant levels of 0.026 and 0.012 respectively. The extent of effects was regretted to be 62% within the inverse
correlation of 0.89 to mean that the increase of EoC results to the decrease of FE and the decrease of EoC leads to
the increase of FE. The statistical analytics were measured using SPSS and data were secondarily reviewed from
the study of Hossain et al., (2018). For further researches; an expansion to reach other stakeholders like police
makers and officers of financial institutions has been recommended because, this study has been established on the
mere perspectives and opinions of entrepreneurs and not other stakeholders of entreprenerial activities.
An Investigation of the Effect of Challenges Encounters Female Entrepreneuria...AkashSharma618775
The participation of females in entrepreneurial activities is such a satisfying ideal that has proven to
convey positive contribution towards economic process. To ascertain this; the subject matter has presented herein.
Such presentation has been done by giving detailed analysis of the effects of challenges encounters female
entrepreneurial taking Malaysia, which is one of the transformed economies as the country of context. There is a
promising growth in entrepreneurial activities in the recent years in Malaysia; yet, this growth has seen to have
many male entrepreneurs leaving females with minimal rate of participation. There are challenges identified,
evaluated and analyzed to be the very reasons that leads to this scenario. The study employed three challenges
called economic, resource and cultural extracted from Isa et al., (2018); the challenges which are henceforth
implemented as independent variables (IVs) of the study. The study has found the significant correlation between
each of these IVs (EoC) and its subject matter; that’s female entrepreneurial (FE) in Malaysia the DV with the
significant levels of 0.026 and 0.012 respectively. The extent of effects was regretted to be 62% within the inverse
correlation of 0.89 to mean that the increase of EoC results to the decrease of FE and the decrease of EoC leads to
the increase of FE. The statistical analytics were measured using SPSS and data were secondarily reviewed from
the study of Hossain et al., (2018). For further researches; an expansion to reach other stakeholders like police
makers and officers of financial institutions has been recommended because, this study has been established on the
mere perspectives and opinions of entrepreneurs and not other stakeholders of entreprenerial activities.
Role of Women Development Fund on Growth of Women Owned BusinessesAI Publications
The study intended to assess the role of Women Development Fund (WDF) on growth of women owned business in Tanzania. The study specifically assessed business activities of women funded through the WDF, WDF challenges, and examined the procedures used by women owning Business to access WDF. The study adopted a case study design, collected primary and secondary data through questionnaire, interviews and document review. SPSS v.20 was used for data analysis, where both the descriptive and inferential statistics methods were used to present the findings. Spearman correlation analysis was used to measure significance variables relationships between the dependent and independent across the women development fund if any. The study revealed a number of findings including that a large number of women are obstructed by social, family, and work challenges due to traditional values which limit their business growth and mobility. There were reported existence of unwarranted bureaucracy, inadequate understanding of the WDF policy difficulties in getting trustworthy members to join their groups, trust worthless of some beneficiaries to ensure monies land into safe hands. The WDF application processes are reported to be obscure, with several criticisms by many beneficiaries such failure to disburse the loans on time and at the applied amount to some groups, it has however not affected their business growth negatively. The identified success in WDF reported to be business expansion, growth and acquired ability to source abroad markets of their businesses, job creation, improved the individual life standards, increased their ability to pay for family necessities and construct their homes.
Gender Role in Performance of Small Scale Industry, Factors Affecting Women E...iosrjce
To identify the effect of the gender of owner on the small scale enterprise performance in Delhi (India)
is significant to investigate the relationship between gender and performance, and the difference in performance
between male owned and female owned businesses were stated. Using parametric statistical techniques
such as PLCC, the gender not only significantly effects the performance of the small business but shows a significant
difference in the levels of performance between male owned businesses and females owned businesses.
The National Foundation for Women Business Owners reported that between 1987 and 1994, the number of
women-owned businesses grew by 78% and women-owned firms accounted for 36% of all firms. Although the
growth in the number of women-owned businesses is encouraging, the size of such businesses remains small in
terms of both revenues and number of employees, especially in comparison to male-owned businesses quite often
because of the lack of financial .Women owners still face hard challenges in small scale industries and the
factors which influence the performance of female entrepreneur have been easily investigated by field study of
various small scale industries in disparate locations in Delhi and confronted with several policies recently formulated
for supporting the growth of small scale industry.
Similar to Performance of women in small scale enterprises (ss es) marital status and family characteristics (20)
Personal Brand Statement:
As an Army veteran dedicated to lifelong learning, I bring a disciplined, strategic mindset to my pursuits. I am constantly expanding my knowledge to innovate and lead effectively. My journey is driven by a commitment to excellence, and to make a meaningful impact in the world.
VAT Registration Outlined In UAE: Benefits and Requirementsuae taxgpt
Vat Registration is a legal obligation for businesses meeting the threshold requirement, helping companies avoid fines and ramifications. Contact now!
https://viralsocialtrends.com/vat-registration-outlined-in-uae/
Attending a job Interview for B1 and B2 Englsih learnersErika906060
It is a sample of an interview for a business english class for pre-intermediate and intermediate english students with emphasis on the speking ability.
Implicitly or explicitly all competing businesses employ a strategy to select a mix
of marketing resources. Formulating such competitive strategies fundamentally
involves recognizing relationships between elements of the marketing mix (e.g.,
price and product quality), as well as assessing competitive and market conditions
(i.e., industry structure in the language of economics).
Business Valuation Principles for EntrepreneursBen Wann
This insightful presentation is designed to equip entrepreneurs with the essential knowledge and tools needed to accurately value their businesses. Understanding business valuation is crucial for making informed decisions, whether you're seeking investment, planning to sell, or simply want to gauge your company's worth.
The world of search engine optimization (SEO) is buzzing with discussions after Google confirmed that around 2,500 leaked internal documents related to its Search feature are indeed authentic. The revelation has sparked significant concerns within the SEO community. The leaked documents were initially reported by SEO experts Rand Fishkin and Mike King, igniting widespread analysis and discourse. For More Info:- https://news.arihantwebtech.com/search-disrupted-googles-leaked-documents-rock-the-seo-world/
Unveiling the Secrets How Does Generative AI Work.pdfSam H
At its core, generative artificial intelligence relies on the concept of generative models, which serve as engines that churn out entirely new data resembling their training data. It is like a sculptor who has studied so many forms found in nature and then uses this knowledge to create sculptures from his imagination that have never been seen before anywhere else. If taken to cyberspace, gans work almost the same way.
Improving profitability for small businessBen Wann
In this comprehensive presentation, we will explore strategies and practical tips for enhancing profitability in small businesses. Tailored to meet the unique challenges faced by small enterprises, this session covers various aspects that directly impact the bottom line. Attendees will learn how to optimize operational efficiency, manage expenses, and increase revenue through innovative marketing and customer engagement techniques.
What is the TDS Return Filing Due Date for FY 2024-25.pdfseoforlegalpillers
It is crucial for the taxpayers to understand about the TDS Return Filing Due Date, so that they can fulfill your TDS obligations efficiently. Taxpayers can avoid penalties by sticking to the deadlines and by accurate filing of TDS. Timely filing of TDS will make sure about the availability of tax credits. You can also seek the professional guidance of experts like Legal Pillers for timely filing of the TDS Return.
What is the TDS Return Filing Due Date for FY 2024-25.pdf
Performance of women in small scale enterprises (ss es) marital status and family characteristics
1. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
Performance of Women in Small Scale Enterprises (SSEs): Marital
Status and Family Characteristics
Hannah Orwa Bula
School of Business, Department of Commerce, Kimathi University College of Technology,
P.O Box 657,10100-NYERI KENYA
Cell phone +254722642199
Email:bula.oh@yahoo.com or bula.hannah@kuct.ac.ke
Abstract
This study discusses the family characteristics and marital status of women entrepreneurs and suggests policy options
to improve performance of women operated SSES in Kenya. It also examines the family responsibilities of the
women entrepreneurs to determine if there is a correlation between the family responsibilities and the performance of
women owners and or managers of SSEs. It makes an immense contribution to the literature by evaluating the
direction and significance of the relationship of family characteristics and responsibilities of women in SSEs to
performance of their enterprises. This study used correlation matrix and regression analysis to determine the
direction of relationship and significance of the two factors to performance of the SSEs . The results of the analysis
show that family characteristics and responsibilities independently have no significant relationship to performance.
Marital status of the women owners and managers of SSEs in Kenya are not significant to performance.
Keywords: Performance, women, small scale businesses, family characteristics, family responsibilities, marital
status, “Mom and Pop” businesses.
1.0 Introduction
Women in Kenya are exposed to some form of harassment and also experience social and economic discrimination,
because of the patriarchal nature of the Kenyan society that rates women below the male gender. Even the
constitution acknowledges that women are not at par with their male counterparts and therefore special provisions
have been provided for gender mainstreaming (GOK Constitution, 2010) .Research has it that only 3% of the total
number of women own title deeds, while almost all men (apart from the squatters) have the same document that can
give them an opportunity to access financial assistance to boost their businesses. They also face harmful cultural
practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM), forced early marriages, food taboos and sex violation. This study
focused on the marital status, family characteristics and responsibilities of women entrepreneurs with a view to
examining their family roles, financial responsibilities and spouse’s support for the married, gender roles among
others and analyzed if these characteristics have a correlation to performance.
1.1 Specific objectives
1. To assess if there is a significant relationship between marital status of the women in SSEs and performance of
their business enterprises.
2. To identify how family characteristics and responsibilities influence the performance of women owned and or
85
2. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
managed SSEs.
1.2 Research Questions
The study aims at answering the following questions:
1. Is there a relationship between the marital status of women in SSEs and performance of their business
enterprises?
2. Is there a relationship between family characteristics and responsibilities of women owners and or managers of
SSEs and performance of their business enterprises?
___________________________
Small scale enterprises are those enterprises that employ between two to one hundred people and have a business history of
three years . This definition was chosen because a business that employs two people such as ‘Mom and Pop Home-based
businesses are critical to the development of an economy, they now make up more than 70 percent of all businesses (Robert
Longley, About.com Guide). The maximum of one hundred people is borrowed from the research from the Kenya Industrial
Estate(KIE) and also from the perception that businesses employing less than one hundred people have major challenges that they
have to grapple with to reach the middle level status of entrepreneurship (GOK, 1985).
1.3 Research Hypotheses
The hypotheses posed in this study were as follows:
H1: There is some degree of correlation between marital status of women in SSEs and performance of their
business enterprises.
H2: There is a significant relationship between women owners and or managers’s family characteristics and
performance of their business enterprises.
2.0 Review of Literature
2.1 Women Entrepreneurships and Status of Women in Kenya
The women in developing countries have movements and women’s income generation programs have traditionally
taken a broad–based welfare approach which has emphasized improving women’s general living standards rather
than enhancing their independence and active participation in the main stream of the economy. Over the past several
years people have become increasingly aware of the need to focus on entrepreneurship development as a more
specific objective in the support of women in developing countries. The effectiveness of women entrepreneurship
development programs however has been hampered by the fact that people are still putting too much emphasis on
gender and not enough emphasis on entrepreneurship as such (Eigen Dec. 1992).
A more specific focus on women entrepreneurship development has recently emerged which lays more emphasis on
the economic benefits of women participation. An estimated 35 percent of all households worldwide are headed by
women, their participation in the labor force is growing in most countries and they comprise an increasing proportion
of informal sector activities in almost every developing country in the world. In Kenya, more than 32% of
households are headed by women (Van Der Wees, 1987), many of whom are beginning to venture into some form of
small scale activities or self employment out of necessity. Absorption of women into formal sector wage labor is
shrinking in relative terms, currently representing only 20% of the total labor force in the formal sector. Their
participation in the informal sector is on the increase with a representation of about 35% in 1990 (Breldan Consultant,
86
3. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
1990). The participation of women in the informal sector of the economy is probably a great deal higher than this
statistics indicates. However, women’s economic activities are most often undertaken in their homes thereby
escaping notice and recognition. According to UNIDO (1986) women in the informal sector are the highest
employer of women especially in the small scale enterprise outside agricultural sector in Kenya. Out of the 1.3
million enterprises in 1999, 75% were in trade and service sub sector, 13.4% were in manufacturing of which 7.7%
were involved in other activities (GOK, 2005)
A survey done by the Kenya Demographic and Housing Survey (KDHS 2003, p. 35-42) revealed that 75% of women
receive cash for their work, while almost one in 5% of the total number of women engaged in entrepreneurial
activities is unpaid. Women are more likely to be paid in kind, or not paid at all if they are employed in
agricultural activities. Women are more prone to seasonal and occasional work if they are employed in agricultural
activities than if they are in non agricultural occupation and conversely continuity of employment is more assured for
women engaged in non agricultural work. It is apparent that the most critical factor in gender inequality is limited
access to formal education and training. 13.7% women have no formal education and therefore, many women
concentrate in unskilled and semi skilled categories in the labor market and also in trade and service sub sector of the
SSE. This perpetrates poverty levels amongst women as they are mainly concentrated in operating enterprise (G.O.K,
2005).
Women entrepreneurship development has achieved limited success due to the approach given to it. The approach
has retained the focus on women as opposed to emphasizing the concept of entrepreneurship. There has been an
excessive concentration on gender specification rather than integrating women in the main stream of economic
development. For example, Kenya Women Finance Trust has been providing financial assistance to business
women in Kenya for several years, but the impact has been extremely limited because the focus was on “women”
regardless of their level of skills, assets and needs (Eigen, Dec.1992).
According to the Kenya National Micro and Small Enterprise baseline survey(1999) of all the small scale enterprises
in Kenya, 47.75% were owned by women, yet the focus on women entrepreneurship has been continuously blurred
by the variety of activities undertaken by women in developing countries as well as the sheer number of obstacles
they face. One cannot help asking questions such as: how can a woman be a successful entrepreneur if she is
pregnant every year? Or overworked in the family or is uneducated, untrained or unexposed to market, or cut off
from financial resources or just generally discriminated against in a male dominated society? How can one address
the problems of entrepreneurship if one does not first look at these related problems? One can not overlook this. A
woman who is trying to run a business unit has to at some point in her life deal with these problems (Eigen Dec.
1992). All these must be addressed. Without a sense of security in terms of health, water, food and shelter a woman
cannot commit her mind and body to entrepreneurial endeavors.
2.2 Role of Small Scale Enterprises (SSEs)
All over the world, small firms have manifested great roles in economic growth and development and this has made
it one of the main focus for economic development policies in various economies and this further justifies why the
western world, Europe and Japan are advanced in economic development. These events are however traceable from
87
4. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
the early 1950s when the United States Government strongly favored the small firms and the US small Business Act
was created. While from the early 1970s to mid 1970s to present times, European Governments’ attitudes shifted
sharply in favor of small firms and many policy measures were introduced in their support. Indeed, 1983 was
designated by the European commission as the European year of small firm (Rothwell, 1986).The shift to small
enterprises was based on the following various beliefs that: small firms were more efficient employment creators
than their large counterparts, small firms were potentially more suitable vehicles for the economic renewal of the less
favored regions than were the branch plants of larger firms and those small firms have higher inherent potential for
innovation than larger firms. This contributed towards the recent strong European base for industrial development
(ibid). As a result of job creation ability, small enterprises can make a major contribution to a nation’s economic
well being.(Gavin C, et. al 1993) On technological development and transfer, inter – firm linkages have the potential
to encourage faster technology diffusion, and a more complex array of products (Rothwell , 1986). There are issues
which constrain SSE success, to date. According to Nissanke (1991), many African countries have implemented
financial sector liberalization programs with the aim of improving macro-economic performance. This has been
possible through reduced inefficiency in the financial markets, which would indignantly benefit the non-financial
sectors. Varying degrees of success with financial liberalization have been noted in some countries while failures
for diverse reasons have been reported in others.
The Kenyan economy depends on SSEs. It is predominantly agriculture whose major contributors are the SSEs.
Agriculture sector contributes 25 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Coffee, tea and horticultural (flowers,
fruits and vegetables) are the main agricultural export commodities. In 2002, the above goods contributed to 53
percent of the total export earnings (CBS, 2003a). The manufacturing sector contributes about 13 percent of the
total GDP and contributes significantly to export earnings especially from the Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa (COMESA) region. The economy has undergone a structural transformation since 1994.
Agriculture’s GDP has declined from over 30 percent during the period 1964 – 1979 to 25 percent from 2000 – 2002
(KDHS, 2003, .2-44). The performance of the Kenyan economy since the country became independent has been
mixed from 1964. In 1974, the economy grew by about 7 percent per annum, attributed to expansion in the
manufacturing sector and increase in agricultural production. Since then, there has been a consistent decline in
the economy reaching the lowest GDP growth level of about 2 percent between 1999 and 2002; the consistent poor
growth performance has failed to keep pace with population growth (ibid).
2.3 Family responsibilities
Increased responsibility for family can provide some explanation for the lower profitability of women’s firms
(Longstreth et al., 1987).By the end of the 1980s, women were starting businesses in increasing numbers but, for the
most part, they chose traditionally female industry sectors and aspired to smaller than average business size in the
U.S.(Evans & Leighton, 1987). Aldrich (1989) postulates that researchers in the field of entrepreneurship raised
many questions about gender differences, but, there still exists a gap as to what could be the cause of low success in
women owned and managed enterprises. Brush and Hirsch (1991 found that the traditional socialization of women
influenced the type of businesses started, the availability of start-up capital, and the management skills and
experiences of the woman business owner. But the question still remained as to why women are motivated to start
88
5. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
their ventures among the family responsibilities, This research also sought to examine the effect of family
characteristics and responsibilities to the performance of business enterprises by examining the family
responsibilities of the women owners and or managers of SSEs .
2.4 Performance
Studies by Loscosso & Robinson, (1991) and Loscosso, Robinson, Hall, & Allen, (1991) propose that women-owned
businesses have lower sales volumes and lower incomes and employment growth as a result of positioning in less
profitable industries, as well as lack of access to capital, and inability to secure government contracts. For the
purpose of this study indicators of performance such as growth in profits; increase in sales volume, Capital growth;
increase in number of employees and increase in assets, were used to measure performance through determining
Performance Index.
3.0 Methodology
This research used descriptive and inferential statistics to evaluate the relationship between marital status, family
characteristics & responsibilities (independent variables) and performance (dependent variable).The variables were
measured based on the regression analysis and correlation matrix.
4.0 Research Findings
4.1 Marital Status
A majority 65.5 percent of the households of women in SSEs were married, while 29.1 percent, 4 percent were
separated. The study also found that 1.1 percent of the women in SSEs were widowed and 0.3 percent was divorced.
A further analysis on the women in SSEs marital status against performance was done and the results are shown in
Table 1 in the Annex.
Relationship between Marital status of Women Operating SSEs and growth in profits of their enterprises.
The study sought to establish the relationship between marital status and the growth in profits of the small scale
enterprises. Growth in profits was taken as a measure of performance since the averaged score could not be used in
the cross tabulation. The cross tabulation results indicated that only 5 married women in SSEs(100 percent) strongly
disagreed that profits have grown, the other categories of women in SSEs did not strongly disagree that their profits
had grown. The study also shows that 40 percent of single women disagree that profits have grown while 60 percent
of the married women disagree that their profits have grown. It is also clear from the results that none of the divorced,
separated and widowed women in SSEs disagreed that their profits had grown. All the widowed, separated and
divorced women in SSEs either agreed or strongly agreed that their profits had grown. The study also shows that
31.3 percent and 24.4 percent of the single women were neutral and agreed that profits had grown respectively. 1.6
percent of the widowed women strongly agreed that profits have grown. 32.6 percent (63) of the single women also
strongly agreed that profits have grown and 61.7% married women in SSEs strongly agreed that their profits had
grown. This study also shows that there is no significant relationship between marital status of the women
entrepreneurs and performance of their SSEs. See Table 1 in the Annex.
The result show that those who are married enjoy support of their spouses who inject in more capital during times of
financial crisis enabled 61.7% of the women in SSEs to register improved business performance. The result also
show that married women were over represented (65.5%) in this study by a big proportion of the women in SSEs
89
6. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
interviewed.
4.2 Family Characteristics and responsibilities
Results indicated that majority of the respondents interviewed agree (mean >= 4.0) that they use their income from
their businesses to take care of their family needs. Respondents also agree (mean>= 3.5) that they support many
dependents from their businesses. The study also showed that respondents also agree that, family responsibilities
interfere with business operations and that there is conflict between family roles with business roles. The study also
revealed that respondents were neutral (mean<2.5) that their businesses could not succeed because of problems at
home and disagreed that they got interest in their businesses from their parents (see Table 5 in the Annex). This study
therefore show that business acumen and business idea is not an inheritable trait but anyone can acquire it so long as
one has an interest in starting and operating a business.
4.3 Family Responsibilities of women operating SSEs
The family characteristics and responsibilities of women entrepreneurs in SSEs were evaluated further. According
to Table 2 in the Annex, a majority (58.8%) of the SSEs revealed that their family responsibilities interfere with their
business operations, 59.6% also said that their businesses suffer when they have small babies, 50.9 % indicated that
their businesses do not function as usual in their absence. Of the women interviewed 60.4% indicated that their
businesses will still succeed despite problems at home, 55.4% are the sole bread winners for their families. A
further analysis of the women entrepreneurs in SSEs’s responsibilities revealed results indicated in Table 3 in the
Annex. The result shows that a majority of the women entrepreneurs (76.5%) use the income from their businesses to
take care of their families, 62.9% say they have many dependants to support, and 52.9% say their domestic roles
conflict with their business roles. Of the women entrepreneurs interviewed, 58.8% revealed that they get support
from their spouses, this could have explained the reasons for improved performance of the SSEs. This study also
revealed that only 17.8% of the women entrepreneurs inherited their business interest from their parents. Most SSEs
owners/managers disagree that problems at home can interfere with their businesses, most of them take care of
children using income from the businesses and again a majority says their interest in business was not inherited.
According to the descriptive results, family characteristics and responsibilities have a negative relationship to
performance. The family attributes that impedes the performance of SSEs in Kenya includes conflict of domestic
roles with business roles, the dependency of families in the enterprises proceeds, the conflict between family
responsibilities and business operations, using the business proceeds to take care of families and their children
among others. This clearly shows that the women entrepreneurs have not cut a line between their businesses and their
families. This then causes the decline in performance of these enterprises due to the family interferences. A further
analysis of the family characteristics and responsibilities was done using a correlation matrix and results are shown
in Table 4 in the Annex.
From the results of Pearson correlation shown in Table 4, the correlation analysis showed that there is a positive
correlation (0.85)between family characteristics & responsibilities and the performance of SSEs in Kenya, this could
be explained by the findings that indicated that a big proportion(65.5%) of the respondents were married and they
90
7. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
received financial support from their spouses in running their businesses. However, the relationship though positive
was insignificant to performance at 95% confidence interval.
4.4 Test of Hypotheses
Regarding the family characteristics, the specific items that the study singled out as contributing to the performance
of SSEs in Kenya included the following: family responsibility interfere with business operations, business suffers
when women in SSEs have small babies to take care of, business functions as usual in the entrepreneur’s absence and
business cannot succeed because of problems at home.
After doing a factor analysis on the family characteristics that were purported to influence the performance of small
scale enterprises in Kenya, the factor analysis revealed that only four attributes seemed to affect the performance of
these enterprises. A score from these four factors was calculated and regressed against the performance score as
shown in Table 6 of the Annex. The overall model coefficient of 19.579 seems to indicate that there other factors
that influence performance that are not included in this model. This is a high likelihood that if these factors are
included in modeling performance of women SSEs, family characteristics and responsibilities could be significant.
From the correlation and regression results family characteristic had a P-value of 0.11 at 95 percent confidence
interval implying that the coefficient of the family characteristics was statistically in significant in explaining the
variations in the dependent variable. Family characteristics against performance were found to be insignificant at
P ≤ 0.05. We therefore reject the hypotheses.
5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This study contributes to literature and adds that regardless of the women entrepreneurs’ marital status, growth in
performance can be achieved if the right business practices are employed. All the women in SSEs interviewed
indicated that their profits had grown and by extension their business performance had improved.
The results imply that women in SSEs lack proper financial management because they have not separated business
accounts and family financial accounts. These results concurs with existing literature that shows that deficient financial
management causes some of the most common and serious problems for small scale entrepreneurs. The government
and policy making organs ought to sensitize women in small businesses on the need to access and manage their
finances effectively.
Providing financial services for small scale enterprises is a powerful tool for poverty reduction enabling the poor
households to build assets, increase incomes and reduce their vulnerability to economic stress and external shocks.
Micro finances or the lending institutions should be sensitized on the need to increase the entrepreneurs’ cash flow.
Access to credit plays an important role in enhancing smaller enterprises ability to finance investments by offering
them a mix of short and medium term loans which enable them to bridge critical periods in their cash flows.
Financial empowerment of women should be a top government priority if poverty is to be eradicated. Women bear
91
8. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
the worst brunt of poverty because this research found that more than 30% of women head households and are the
sole bread winners. Only 17% of women entrepreneurs own title deeds that they can use to access formal financing
from the banks and over 80% lack this essential collateral security that can be used to obtain credit to finance their
business operations.
From the findings of the study, it is recommended that all the stakeholders should engage in deliberate efforts to
develop financial and support programs that meet the needs of women entrepreneurs in the country. Existing
financial and business development institutions, donors and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) should be
encouraged to develop specialized programs and schemes to address the needs of these women. There is also a need
to train women who manage these business enterprises in the country with financial management to enable them
manage their enterprises in a better and efficient manner. Women entrepreneurs should attend courses and training
programs geared towards educating them on how to handle the loans given. They also need to undergo training on
record keeping. They should take courses on the importance of having separate accounts of business and family
needs. Courses on entrepreneurship education may also help in bridging the gap on poor financial management.
Although entrepreneurship culture cannot be learnt in school, attaining the right entrepreneurship skills assists a great
deal in ensuring that the appropriate business practices are employed in women SSEs. The entrepreneurs are thus
supposed to be professionals in their work and this can only be achieved through training. Social economic aspects
also impede the performance of SSEs and the society as a whole need to recognize the rights of women and create a
level playing ground with their male counterparts in all aspects of life.
The government should build community capacities for wealth creation among enterprising women entrepreneurs
and to promote sustainable livelihood by strengthening responsive banking methodology. The study revealed that
most women entrepreneurs take care of their family needs using business finances. It is therefore, imperative for the
women entrepreneurs to be taught the culture of having proper financial management of their businesses to be able to
account for their expenses and income with certainty. There is also need for the women entrepreneurs to take courses
on book keeping and basic accounting as research shows that the books of accounts are not well kept by the women
operating SSEs.
References
Aldrich, Howard, E. and Weidenmayer, G. (1993). “From Traits to Rates: An
Ecological Perspective on Organizational Foundlings,” in Jerome Katz and Robert
Brockhaus,eds., Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence, and Growth Conn.: JAI
Press,pp.145-95.
Brelder Consultants (1990)’Women and Credit: A survey and Credit granting
insrtitutions in Kenya;UNICEF.Nairobi.
CBS(2003)”The Economic Survey, 2002”,Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of
planning and National Development, Government Printers, Nairobi, Kenya,p.68ff
CBS(2004)”The Economic Survey, 2003”,Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of
planning and National Development, Government Printers, Nairobi, Kenya,p.45
92
9. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
Censors Report (1999) Population and Housing Census.CBS. Ministry of Finance and
Planning (counting our people for development.Vol 1 and 2)
Davidson, P. and Johan Wiklund, "Cultural Values and Regional Variations in New
Firm Foundation," http://www.babson.edu/entrep/fer/papers95/per.htm
Drucker, Peter F (1985) Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practices and Principles,
NewYork: Harper & Row, Publishers, p. 220-225.
Eigen,J (Dec.1992) An International Journal on Small Enterprise Development in
Kenya. Vol.3, number 4, p. 4-14.
Evans & Leighton, Linda (1987)Self –Employment Selection and Earnings over the Lifestyle.
Washington,U.S.A.Small Business Administration Dec. 1987.
Gavin C, et. al 1993) Survival of small business enterprise. Basil Blackwell; Oxford.
GOK (2003) Ministry of Planning and National Development. Economic Recovery
Strategy for Wealth and employment Creation. GovernmentPrinter, Nairobi,
GOK (2003a) Central Bureau of Statistics :Ministry of Planning and National
Development.Economic Survey.Government Printer. Nairobi Kenya.p.1-13-31
GOK (2005) Sessional paper No 2 2005. Development of Micro and Small Enterprises
for wealth creation and Emloyment Creation for poverty Reduction. Government
Printer Nairobi.
GOK (2006c) Economic Survey. Ministry of Planning and National Development, CBS.
Government Printers,Nairobi
Kenya Demographic and Health Survey(KDHS) , 2003) Claverton,Maryland: CBS
MOH,and ORC Macro.
KIE (2003) Business .Kenya Literature Bureau , Nairobi.Kenya
Kothari C.R. (2006) Research methodology methods second edition: 2004 Reprint 2006
Langlois,R.N. (2007). The entrepreneurial theory of the firm and the theory of the
entrepreneurial firm. Journal of Management Studies 44(7): 1107–1124.
Longstreth, M., Stafford, K., & Mauldin, T. (1987) “Self-employed women and their
families:Time use and socioeconomic characteristics.” Journal of Small Business
Management, 25(3): 30-37.
Loscocco, K. A., Robinson, J., Hall, R.H., & Allen, J.K. (1991). 70 (1), 65-85.
Loscosso, K. A., & Robinson, J. (1991). Barriers to women’s small-business success in
the United States. Gender & Society, 5, 511-532.
Loscocco, K.A., & Leicht, K.T. (1993) “Gender, work-family linkages, and economic
success among small business owners.” Journal of Marriage & the Family, 55(4): 875-887.
Mwamadzingo, M (1996) Commercialisation of innovations: Lessons from Kenya.
National Micro & Small Enterprise Business Survey (1999).Government of Kenya Pg 38
Nairobi +21 (2006) Women Conference Magazine, report on gender, equality and
development, Commemorating the 3rd UN World Conference on women: 1985-2006 Friday, 27, October,
2006
93
10. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
Nissanke, M. (1991a). "Mobilizing Domestic Resources for African Development and
Diversification : Structural Impediments to Financial Intermediation", (In Chhibber, A. &
Fischer, S. eds. Economic Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington DC : World Bank.)
Robert Longley, About.com Guide.2012
Rothwell. R. (1989) SMES.Interfirm Relationships and Technological Change;
Entreprenuership and Regional Development. P. 275-291
Schumpeter, J. A. (1911). The Theory of Economic Development: An Inquiry into
Profits,Capital, Credit, Interest and the Business Cycle, Harvard University Press,
Cambridge translated by Redvers Opie in 1934.
Smith-Doerr, Laurel and Walter W. Powell. (2005). "Networks and Economic Life."
Pp.379-402 in The Handbook of Economic Sociology, Second Edition, edited by N.
Smelser and R.Swedberg. Princeton: Russell Sage Foundation
UNIDO(1986) . Industry and Development.Global report 1986-1989 Vienna:UNIDO
Van Der Wees Catherine (1987) Journal,‘Women and Small Enterprise Development in
Kenya.ILOZahra, S.A. & Wiklund, J. (2000). “Top Management Team
Characteristics and Resource Recombination among New Ventures”. Paper
presented at Strategic Management Society Annual Meeting Vancouver, 15-18 October, 2000.
http://www.allbusiness.com/businessfinance/businessloans/78087)August, 2011
http:/www.kipnotes.com/businessgrowth and influence October 12, 2007
Biography of the Author
Hannah Orwa Bula is a PhD candidate and a lecturer at the department of commerce of the School of Business,
Kimathi University College of Technology, Nyeri, Kenya. Her primary research interest includes entrepreneurships
and human resources management. Her dissertation is titled “women entrepreneurs characteristics and
performance”.
ANNEX
Table 1: Cross tabulation between marital status and growth in profits of Women Operating SSEs
Profits have grown
Marital Status
strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree Total
widowed 0 0 0 1 3 4
.0% .0% .0% .7% 1.6% 1.1%
divorced 0 0 0 1 0 1
.0% .0% .0% .7% .0% .3%
separated 0 0 0 6 8 14
.0% .0% .0% 4.4% 4.1% 4.0%
single 0 2 5 33 63 103
94
11. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
.0% 40.0% 31.3% 24.4% 32.6% 29.1%
married 5 3 11 94 119 232
100.0% 60.0% 68.8% 69.6% 61.7% 65.5%
Total 5 5 16 135 193 354
100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Source: Survey, 2012
Table 2: Women in SSEs’s Family Responsibility
Family responsibility interfere with business operations
3.4
strongly disagree 69 19.5
Disagree 56 15.8
Neutral 21 5.9
Agree 69 19.5
strongly agree 139 39.3
Business suffers when having a small baby
3.3
strongly disagree 56 15.8
Disagree 48 13.6
Neutral 39 11.0
Agree 161 45.5
strongly agree 50 14.1
Business functions as usual even while taking care of family
responsibilities 2.7
strongly disagree 134 37.9
Disagree 46 13.0
Neutral 17 4.8
Agree 87 24.6
strongly agree 70 19.8
Business cannot succeed because of problems at home
2.3
strongly disagree 158 44.6
Disagree 56 15.8
Neutral 38 10.7
Agree 72 20.3
strongly agree 30 8.5
95
12. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
Must always go to business being the sole breed winner
2.8
strongly disagree 145 41.0
Disagree 51 14.4
Neutral 10 2.8
Agree 40 11.3
strongly agree 108 30.5
Source: Survey, 2012
Table 3 Women in SSEs’s Financial and other Family Responsibilities
Use income from business to take care of children 4.1
strongly disagree
33 9.3
Disagree
29 8.2
Neutral
21 5.9
Agree
73 20.6
strongly agree
198 55.9
supports many dependants from business
strongly disagree 60 16.9 3.7
Disagree 40 11.3
Neutral 31 8.8
Agree 73 20.6
strongly agree 150 42.3
Get support from husband
strongly disagree 97 27.4 3.5
Disagree 7 2.0
Neutral 42 11.9
Agree 53 15.0
strongly agree 155 43.8
Interest in business was inherited from parents
strongly disagree 188 53.1 2
Disagree 77 21.8
96
13. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
Neutral 26 7.3
Agree 23 6.5
strongly agree 40 11.3
Domestic roles conflict with business roles
strongly disagree 97 27.4 3.2
Disagree 51 14.4
Neutral 19 5.4
Agree 59 16.7
strongly agree 128 36.2
Source: Researcher, 2012
Table 4 Correlation Matrix
Performance Score Family Characteristics
Performance Score 1
Family Characteristics & .085 1
Responsibilities .111
Survey: Researcher, 2012
Table 5 Family Characteristics
Family Characteristics and Responsibilities
Mean Std. Deviation
Use income from my business to take care of children 4.06 1.337
Support many dependants from business 3.74 3.130
Get support from husband 3.46 1.678
Family responsibility interfere with my business operations 3.43 1.589
Business suffers when having a small baby: have to take 3.29 1.308
time off
Domestic roles conflict with my business roles 3.20 1.680
Must always go to do business because of being the sole 2.76 1.751
breed winner
Business functions as usual even when in the absence of the 2.75 1.621
owner/manager
2.32 1.425
97
14. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
Table 5 Family Characteristics
Family Characteristics and Responsibilities
Mean Std. Deviation
Use income from my business to take care of children 4.06 1.337
Support many dependants from business 3.74 3.130
Get support from husband 3.46 1.678
Family responsibility interfere with my business operations 3.43 1.589
Business suffers when having a small baby: have to take 3.29 1.308
time off
Domestic roles conflict with my business roles 3.20 1.680
Must always go to do business because of being the sole 2.76 1.751
breed winner
Business functions as usual even when in the absence of the 2.75 1.621
owner/manager
2.32 1.425
Interest in business was inherited from my parents 2.01 1.374
Source: Survey, 2012
Table 6 Regression Analysis of Family Characteristics against Performance
Model Standardized
Un standardized Coefficients Coefficients
B Std. Error Beta t Sig.
1 (Constant) 19.579 1.033 18.956 .000
Family Characteristics .052 .033 .085 1.600 .111
a. Dependent Variable: Performance Index
Source: Survey, 2012
Figure 1: Marital Status of women operating SSEs
98
15. European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online)
Vol 4, No.7, 2012
Source: Survey, 2012
99
16. This academic article was published by The International Institute for Science,
Technology and Education (IISTE). The IISTE is a pioneer in the Open Access
Publishing service based in the U.S. and Europe. The aim of the institute is
Accelerating Global Knowledge Sharing.
More information about the publisher can be found in the IISTE’s homepage:
http://www.iiste.org
The IISTE is currently hosting more than 30 peer-reviewed academic journals and
collaborating with academic institutions around the world. Prospective authors of
IISTE journals can find the submission instruction on the following page:
http://www.iiste.org/Journals/
The IISTE editorial team promises to the review and publish all the qualified
submissions in a fast manner. All the journals articles are available online to the
readers all over the world without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than
those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. Printed version of the
journals is also available upon request of readers and authors.
IISTE Knowledge Sharing Partners
EBSCO, Index Copernicus, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, JournalTOCS, PKP Open
Archives Harvester, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Elektronische
Zeitschriftenbibliothek EZB, Open J-Gate, OCLC WorldCat, Universe Digtial
Library , NewJour, Google Scholar