Women entrepreneurship in marginalized communities: Does culture, Ubuntu, religiosity and ancestral relevance matter?

Title

Women entrepreneurship in marginalized communities: Does culture, Ubuntu, religiosity and ancestral relevance matter?

Creator

Jaravaza Divaries Cosmas

Makudza Forbes

Mandongwe Lucia

Muparangi Simbarashe

Machaka Tafadzwa

Chisiri Benard

Mukucha Paul

Jaravaza Nomuhle

Abstract

Poverty alleviation at the bottom of the pyramid hitches, inter alia, on rural women entrepreneurship in emerging and marginalized economies. The study was focused on understanding the influence of cultural orientations (vertical individualism and horizontal collectivism) and peculiar African beliefs (social axioms) of Ubuntu, ancestral relevance and religiosity on rural women’s entrepreneurial intentions. Data was collected from 200 rural women in Zimbabwe. Analysis of data was done using structural equation modeling in Amos. Results revealed significant relationships between cultural orientations and African beliefs, as well as between Ubuntu and entrepreneurial intention. However, religiosity and ancestral relevance were not significantly related to entrepreneurial intention. In promoting rural women entrepreneurship, Governments, Non-Governmental organizations and financial institutions may include culture orientations and Ubuntu in their training manuals and also in screening potential entrepreneurs on loan applications.
Keywords: Women entrepreneurship, Culture, Verification Individualism, Ubuntu, Religiosity

Date

2025

Source

Community Development

identifier

10.1080/15575330.2024.2344206

volume

56

issue

1

pages

59–79