Critical success factors of female entrepreneurs in maledominated spaces: An exploratory study of the logistics sector in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Abstract

This study examines the key success factors of female entrepreneurs in the logistics sector in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study explores the five key success factors of financial capital, human capital, innovation, social capital and work-life balance, to understand the lived experiences of females in the logistics sector. This research is qualitative as it gathers in-depth insights from 15 female entrepreneurs in the logistics sector in Pietermaritzburg and Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa using the snowball sampling technique. The physical and virtual in-depth interviews which lasted approximately 45 minutes were conducted during May to July 2022. The interviews were transcribed and recorded by the researcher. Data was analysed using NVIVO 12 software. The findings revealed that financial capital, human capital, innovation, social capital and work-life balance enhances the success of female entrepreneurs in the logistics sector. In terms of financial capital, most females reinvested their profit into the businesses and skills development. Human capital assisted the females to develop stakeholder relations, self-confidence, business innovation which led to improved business performance. Although social capital is crucial for the success of female entrepreneurs, their networking abilities were limited by male dominance in the sector and barriers such as sexual harassment and inability to grasp business lingo used in the sectors. Lastly, achieving work-life balance proved to be challenging to female entrepreneurs due to the multiple roles and responsibilities expected of them. Nonetheless, the females developed survival strategies which include effective time management, good communication and setting boundaries between work and family responsibilities. Having a good support system from family members or a spouse is essential to achieving work-life balance. This improves business productivity, promotes creativity and good mental health. This study, therefore, concludes that the five key success factors enhance the success of female entrepreneurs in the logistics sector. Consequently, the study recommends that the government should continue to prioritise and reduce bureaucratic requirements for female entrepreneur support programs. The government and the private sector are encouraged to prioritise female entrepreneurs in the logistics sector by outsourcing business from them and by contributing a portion of their corporate social responsibility towards programs that support female entrepreneurship. Future research studies should consider conducting a comparative study of female and male entrepreneurs in different male dominated spaces such as construction and engineering to examine the success factors and draw possible learnings for better representation and advancement of gender equality. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on female entrepreneurship in maledominated spaces. The study is valuable to policymakers who are instrumental in enacting and implementing gender policy. The study acknowledges its limitation in that it gathered data from a sample of 15 female entrepreneurs. Therefore, the study results cannot be generalised to female entrepreneurs in the logistics sector in Pietermaritzburg and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. However, the study laid a foundation for future studies on the subject.