A research study highlights key impediments to student women participation in entrepreneurship at SA universities

Low self-esteem is a significant barrier to student women participation in entrepreneurship at universities, according to findings of the study titled Barriers Faced by student women in Higher Education Institutions in South Africa to Participate in Entrepreneurship and Business, and Challenges Experienced During Participation (2024). 

The recently published study was commissioned under the auspices of the Student Women Economic Empowerment Project (SWEEP), an initiative of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), being implemented and administered from Universities South Africa (USAf).  SWEEP, established in October 2021, is a programme within the EDHE programme. It is a sisterhood aimed at promoting the economic empowerment of student women and equipping them for full participation in the economy.  

The Barriers Study, sponsored from the DHET’s Universities Development Capacity Programme (UCDP) grant, was administered in a sample of 75 undergraduate and postgraduate female students aged 18-35 across university types, who had proven to be interested in entrepreneurship at their institutions but had not started a business, or were already involved in one type of business hustle or another. The study participants were essentially SWEEP members. 

To qualify low self-esteem, study participants used words such as lack of self-confidence and self-motivation to pursue business with the determination that it requires. Participants mentioned a tendency for student women to feel intimidated in the company of males in the male-dominated disciplines such as mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, construction, technology, including business. Student women tended to find these domains “difficult” when paired with males who seemed to handle the terrain more confidently than themselves. 

The second barrier identified was an inability in student women to manage clients – typified by going out there and asserting themselves in selling — due to social and cultural stereotypes. Study respondents blamed their tendency to hold back on the absence of support from family and/or community in their business pursuits, something that the researchers closely associated with society’s historical identification of women roles. 

Another barrier was a lack of education and training in entrepreneurship. Respondents said they struggled to balance their roles as students while pursuing entrepreneurship. They cited a lack of basic knowledge and skills in business management and entrepreneurship. They also blamed their non-participation on the absence of business guidance in choosing the correct market for their businesses; inadequate marketing of entrepreneurship activity at their institutions; absence of financial and non-financial resources for students and the absence of mentorship and peer learning opportunities.  

Since the entrepreneurship programme was introduced into higher education in 2017, the EDHE team noticed that the participation of student women was low. 

In 2020, EDHE ran a brief survey on the Voices Unite research platform, to gauge student sentiments on entrepreneurship. The 3,233 respondents included 66 females (7%). When asked to name the top five barriers to participation in entrepreneurship, the female respondents named the following (in descending order of importance): lack of funding; lack of relevant and effective networks; lack of support from legal and regulatory environment; lack of experience and lack of support from family/partner. 

Yet female students were mentioning independence and economic growth potential as the biggest drawcards to self-employment. Previous observations of the EDHE team, combined with these findings from the Voices Unite survey, informed the formation of the SWEEP programme within EDHE in October 2021. The Voices Unite survey also formed a baseline for future SWEEP research including the study now in discussion.  

The study identified both skeptics and optimists among student women interested in entrepreneurship but lacking the confidence to see it through. Their comments in the interviews included: 

“If you have low self-esteem or you’re not confident, you will not have the self-motivation to go to the CIPC to start your business. 

“You will not be confident enough to know that whatever business idea you have is enough.”

Additional analysis drawn from literature review shows that the lack of confidence identified in student women often results from societal and cultural biases that negatively affect how student women view themselves. When probed deeper, the SA respondents ascribed their low self-esteem to childhood traumatic events, including instances of bullying, low self-image, sexual abuse, and membership in marginalised groups such as the LGBTQI (lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex life) community.

So, even when student women have an interest in starting a business, low self-esteem impedes them from taking the initiative to go register for a business or from engaging their target market to bring their business idea to reality.  Respondents told of male students more readily taking up opportunities offered to them than student women. At least one respondent said even when she offered her student peers an opportunity to sell their products, only the males came forward. Student women tended to need more coaxing and persuasion to act. Another said notwithstanding the many entrepreneurship events on campus, student women often did not know where to start in creating their own businesses. 

“So, they might be giving us the answers and the steps — we just don’t know how to implement them.”

From the respondents already in business, some encountered customers responding negatively to female entrepreneurs in comparison to their male counterparts. When viewed against respondents’ comments below, this added to the student women’s low self-esteem. 

“People want things for free / they don’t want to pay for it…you don’t see your value”

“It feels like a platform to embarrass yourself – when you start a business” 

There were mentions of female customers not as readily willing to support other student women, as opposed to men in business. These comments implied societal attitudes on student women in business.

“I found not good participation from my peers… I continued outside…”

“because I sell products through an online platform, people think it is not real because it is cheaper than in the shops…customers lack information, they just criticize”

“us black people don’t want to support each other”

While some scholars have found validity in the gender discrimination theory, others argue that with the right training, women can unlearn societal prescripts on student women’s roles and, over time, learn to take up challenges in entrepreneurship.  

Beyond gender discrimination, balancing study and business responsibilities was also cited as a challenge. It attracted several comments, with one respondent mentioning her own inability to “multitask.” Another could not retain a business which required her full-time attention while studying IT. Yet another had to choose between her postgraduate studies and pursuing a business idea related to her research. Her biggest impediment was time. 

In yet another instance, an entrepreneur following advice to market her business got overwhelmed when customer numbers outgrew her expectations. With some mentoring she was able to sustain her business, while some of her peers struggled to handle customer orders, payments and complaints. Interestingly, whereas one respondent expressed a wish to see practical business training fused with theoretical teaching in her discipline, others were not taking up the training offered on their campuses, as indicated in the responses below. 

“The university have support – I never tried to access it.”

“Need training on how to run a business”

“I started to see my business going south, I needed financial management mentoring”

Yet one of those who went on to start a business has a hard time establishing it, even if just by identifying space to operate from. 

“It took me about a month being sent from office to office. I learnt that when asking for help you have to know the different terms so that you are not sent to the wrong offices. I did that daily for a month”. 

Some respondents found universities’ support for student entrepreneurs wanting. 

“And then there’s no student vendor allowed on campus. And we actually proposed that they actually make sure that at least 20% of the vendors are student vendors. Now they’re saying it will be chaotic and students won’t want to pay rent. But I’m like, why do you want to make students pay thousands of rands a month when they literally just make like that amount that she wants for rent? That’s basically how they profit.” 

To better support women student entrepreneurs, the Barriers Study outlines several key recommendations:

• Develop comprehensive support programmes

Universities should establish support programmes to enhance self-esteem and resilience among  student women entrepreneurs. These programmes should offer personalised mentorship from successful women entrepreneurs, opportunities to observe role models and workshops on essential business skills. Regular business development sessions and networking events with industry experts are also recommended to provide ongoing support and professional growth.

• Revamp entrepreneurship education and practical training

Updating entrepreneurship education is crucial to better prepare students for real-world challenges. Universities should establish campus-based business incubators that provide practical environments for developing startup ideas. These incubators should include workshops on financial management, marketing, strategic planning, work-based learning programmes, and business simulations. Collaboration with local businesses for internships and apprenticeships can further enrich student women’s entrepreneurial experiences and bridge the gap between theory and practice. 

• Foster Networking and Collaboration Opportunities

Creating platforms that facilitate networking and collaboration among students, potential investors, business partners, and peers is essential. Universities should develop opportunities for students to enhance their networking skills and build connections with political and economic entities. These connections are crucial for accessing valuable resources and support. Collaboration with the EDHE programme can further support these efforts by integrating additional resources and networking opportunities tailored to emerging entrepreneurs.

• Promote Gender Equality and Inclusivity

Universities should tackle societal stereotypes and systemic issues by reviewing and amending their policies to eliminate gender bias. Ensuring equal access to admissions, funding, and mentorship opportunities is vital. Incorporating training on customer satisfaction, funding strategies, and intellectual property protection will assist female entrepreneurs in overcoming systemic barriers. Fostering a culture of diversity and inclusivity within academic settings will contribute to a supportive environment for female student entrepreneurs.

Preliminary findings of the Barriers Study, that were presented and discussed at the 2023 EDHE Lekgotla, led to the EDHE programme collaborating with British Council South Africa in co-designing the UK exchange Programme for SWEEP members and the recently held SWEEP Chapter Executives Capacity Building Workshop, from 24 to 26 July 2024.  

In the meantime, the EDHE programme continues to grow SWEEP chapters across all 26 universities (SWEEP boasts a presence of 19 chapters at 17 public universities to date.) Dr Edwell Gumbo, EDHE Director, adds: “These chapters aim to address the identified challenges, such as low self-esteem, societal stereotypes, and lack of entrepreneurship training, by creating supportive environments that foster confidence, provide mentorship, and offer practical business skills to student women in gender sensitive structures and platforms. 

“Through initiatives like personalised mentorship, business incubation, and networking opportunities, EDHE is actively working to dismantle the barriers highlighted in the study, empowering student women to fully engage in entrepreneurial activities. EDHE, therefore, seeks to create a more inclusive and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem within higher education institutions,” Dr Gumbo concluded.

In the short to medium term, the SWEEP programme aims to transform student women to graduates equipped with employability, entrepreneurship, and relevant soft skills for the development of societally impactful businesses. It also aspires to contribute to the development of contextualised curriculum and capacity strengthening content to support training and capacitation of South African women entrepreneurs in Higher Education. This content will be made accessible on a dedicated web page to be developed for universal access to student women across institutions. All of these initiatives are aimed to improve long-term employability and economic participation outcomes for student women and graduates.

‘Mateboho Green is Universities South Africa’s Manager: Corporate Communication and Kayley Webster a communication consultant and contracted writer.