Ghanaian women and entrepreneurship

Abstract

Little is known about the factors which influence women entrepreneurs in developing countries (especially Ghana) to go into business even though majority of women in these countries are entrepreneurs. The 'Push and Puli'factor theory is used as a theoretical framework to study the motivations of women entrepreneurs in Ghana and to find out whether these motivations are similar to those of women entrepreneurs in developed countries. Interviews with 150 Ghanaian women entrepreneurs reveal that the major motivations for business ownership by Ghanaian women entrepreneurs are financial and the need for flexible hours to suit family life. The study further finds that while some of the motivational factors for women entrepreneurs in Ghana are similar to the motivations of their counterparts in developed countries, the 'push' motivational factors for the women in Africa are 'puli' factors for their counterparts in developed countries and vice versa. This paper therefore suggests that research findings regarding women entrepreneurs in developed countries need to be carefully examined before being applied to developing countries.