Resilience amidst Exclusion: Overcoming Structural and Financial Barriers for Women Entrepreneurs in South Africa
Meshel Muzuva ORCID ↗ · Thandile Ncwana ORCID ↗
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy · 2026 · Vol. 8 / Issue 5 · 142–155
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Abstract
Women entrepreneurs in South Africa continue to encounter financial, institutional, geographical, and gender constraints that hinder business growth. This research explores how these interrelated constraints affect women’s entrepreneurial perspectives and the engagement in the small- and medium-sized enterprise sector. Using an interpretivist qualitative method, data were gathered using an open-ended digital survey with 25 women entrepreneurs operating in various South African settings, reinforced by an analysis of pertinent policy and entrepreneurship-related papers. Thematic analysis identified six interconnected themes: financial exclusion and gendered power; gender norms and patriarchal expectations; geographic marginalisation; network and institutional exclusion; intersectional disadvantage; and resilience and survival-focused strategies. Findings show that women embrace adaptive practices such as personal savings, informal finance and diversification, which allow businesses survival but do not always promote sustained success. These barriers limit access to capital, markets, networks, facilities, and value chains, reducing job growth and business competitiveness. Reflecting on feminist economics, decolonial feminism, and intersectionality, the paper contends that women’s entrepreneurship needs to be regarded as a systemic and structural challenge, instead of a single resilience challenge. The research recommends coordinated, gender-responsive actions that promote accessibility to financing, markets, infrastructure, networks and supportive institutions.
Keywords: Women entrepreneurs; Financial exclusion; Structural barriers; Intersectionality; Gender development
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Meshel Muzuva
Management College of Southern Africa
Thandile Ncwana
Mangosuthu University of Technology
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