An Assessment of the Motivational factors and Characteristics of Women Entrepreneurs in the Construction Industry in South Africa
Abstract
The construction industry is noted to be male dominated. Despite the male dominance of the industry, women entrepreneurs have been observed to be establishing their presence and have survived over the years. This study intends to fill this gap by examining the factors motivating the women entrepreneurs to establish small businesses in the construction industry in South Africa. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on women entrepreneurs operating small businesses in the construction industry. The main aim of this study is to examine the factors that motivated the women entrepreneurs to establish small businesses in the construction industry and the characteristics that have made them survive in a male-dominated industry. The study adopted a qualitative research approach in which empirical evidence was collected through in-depth interviews from sixteen women entrepreneurs who operated in the construction industry. NVivo 12 software was used to conduct thematic analysis. The results revealed that women entrepreneurs are motivated by several factors to venture into the construction industry. These factors include the need to empower themselves and the community, the need to challenge patriarchy, the need for independence, the need for money, and wealth creation among others. The implication for practice was derived from the outcome of the analysed data which suggests that women would continue to survive in the construction industry as long as they have the right motivation.
References
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Anuar, K.F., Abas, S.S.H., & Hamzah, A.I. (2017). The barriers and challenges of women’s involvement in the construction industry within Klang Valley Area. International Journal of Industrial Management, 3(2017), 61-74.
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Cavana, R. Y. D., Delahaye, B. L., & Sekaran, U. (2001). Applied Business Research: Qualitative and quantitative methods (1st ed.). Sydney, Australia: John Wiley and Sons.
Chyi-Iyi, L., & Paul, D. (2009). Entrepreneurial Characteristics, Optimism, Pessimism, and Realism – Correlation or Collision? Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, 22(1), 1-22.
Cohoon, J.M., Wadhwa, V., & Mitchell, L. (2010). The anatomy of an entrepreneur: Are successful women entrepreneurs different from men? Kaufman: The foundation of Entrepreneurship. Retrieved on 24 April 2020 via: https://www.kauffman.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/successful_women_entrepreneurs_510.pdf .
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Ganiyu, I. O., Derera, E., Atiku, S. O. & Fields, Z. (2020). Measuring the effectiveness of work-life balance strategies in the manufacturing sector. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 1683-7584.
Ganiyu, I. O., Fields, Z., & Atiku, S. O. (2017). Work-Family Stressors and Manufacturing Firms Performance: Influence of Work-Life Balance Strategies. The Journal of Accounting and Management, 7(3), 60-71.
Haque, M.F., Haque, M.A. and Islam, M.S. (2014). Motivational theories- a critical analysis. ASA University Review, 8(1), 1-8.
Hamilton, E. (2013). The discourse of Entrepreneurial Masculinities (and Femininities). Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 25(1/2), 90-99.
Haupt, T.C. and Ndimande, J. (2019). A review on why women-owned construction firms fail in KwaZulu-Natal. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1378(2019), 1-20.
Kirkwood, J. (2009). Motivational factors in a push‐pull theory of entrepreneurship. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 4(5), 346-364.
Langowitz, N. S., Minniti, M., & Arenius, P. (2005). Global entrepreneurship monitor: 2004 report on women and entrepreneurship. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership Historical Research Reference in Entrepreneurship.
Lestch, C. (2019). The 5 industries are exploding for women entrepreneurs. Available at: https://thestoryexchange.org/construction-trucking-top-industries-women-businesses/ (Accessed on 15/04/2020).
Meyer, N. and Landsberg, J. (2015). Motivational factors influencing women’s entrepreneurship: A case study of female entrepreneurship in South Africa. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 9(11), 3453-3458.
Pines, A. M., Lerner, M., & Schwartz, D. (2010). Gender Differences in Entrepreneurship: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Times of Global Crisis. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 29(2), 186-198.
Sarri, K. & Trihopoulou, A. (2005). “Female Entrepreneurs’ Personal Characteristics and Motivation: A Review of Greek Situation”. Women in Management Review, 20(1), 24-36.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill building approach (7th edn.). West Sussex: John Wiley.
Şenol, F. (2011). The effect of Job Security on the Perception of External Motivational Tools: A study in Hotel Businesses. Journal of Economic and Social Studies, 1(2), 33-60.
Siddiqui, A.R.K.F., Khahro, S.H. and Akhund, M.A. (2017). Entrepreneurship in construction industry: Motives and barriers. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 8(6), 491-499.
Smallwood, J.J. and Agherdien, S. (2008). Women in South African Construction. International Conference on Multinational Construction Projects: Securing high performance through cultural awareness and dispute avoidance, November 21-23, 2008. Shanghai, China
Sospeter, N.G. (2014). Women entrepreneurship in the Tanzanian construction industry: Motives, processes, challenges and coping strategies. Retrieved on 20 April 2020 via: http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/5937.
Sospeter, N.G. (2016). Models for exploring women entrepreneurial motivation in Tanzanian construction industry. Business Management Review, 19(1), 1-10.
Sospeter, N.G., Rwelamila, P.D., Nchimbi, M. and Masoud, M. (2014). Review of theory and practice literature on women entrepreneurship in the Tanzanian construction industry: Establishing the missing link. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 19(2), 75-85.
Solesvik, M., Iakovleva, T. and Trifilova, A. (2019). Motivation of female entrepreneurs: a cross-national study. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 1-22.
Stephan, U., Hart, M., Mickiewicz, T. & Drews, C. (2015). Understanding Motivations for Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 15th April 2015, from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/408432/bis-15-132-understanding-motivations-for-entrepreneurship.pdf.
Sultana, A. (2011). Patriarchy and Women’s Subordination: A Theoretical Analysis. The Arts Faculty Journal, July 2010-June 2011, 1-18.
Thipe, B. (2019). Women in construction: More progress needed. Retrieved on 16 April 2020 : https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/494/194551.html
Vatal, S. (2015). Women in construction industry. Retrieved on 18 April 2020 via: https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Women_in_the_construction_industry
Verwey, I. (2006). Case Studies on how Women Entrepreneurs in Construction Experience the Entrepreneurial Process and Manage Growth. Retrieved 14 October 2014 from http://www.dbsa.org/en/About- df.
Wärnich, S., Carrel, M.R., Elbert, N.F. and Hatfield, R.D. (2015). Human Resource Management in South Africa. United Kingdom: Cengage Learning.
Williams, M. (2018). Where are all women? Why 99% of all construction site workers are male. Retrieved on 18 April 2020: https://www.theguarding.com/careers-blog/2015/may/19/where-are-all-the-women-why-99-of-construction-site-workers-are-male .
Zitzman, L. (2018). Why construction needs more women in leadership. Retrieved on 19 April 2020: https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/construction-needs-more-women/
Akehurst, G., Simarro, E. & Mas-Tur, A. (2012). Women Entrepreneurship in Small Service Firms: Motivations, Barriers and Performance. The service Industries Journal, 32(15), 2489-2505.
Aneke, E. O., Derera, E., & Bomani, M. (2017). An exploratory study of challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the construction industry in South Africa. International Journal of Business and Management Studies, 9(2), 35-51.
Anuar, K.F., Abas, S.S.H., & Hamzah, A.I. (2017). The barriers and challenges of women’s involvement in the construction industry within Klang Valley Area. International Journal of Industrial Management, 3(2017), 61-74.
Ayandibu, A. O., Ngobese, S., Ganiyu, I. O., & Kaseeeram, I. (2019). Constraints that Hinder the Sustainability of Small Businesses in Durban, South Africa. Journal of Reviews on Global Economics, 8, 1402-1408.
Barba-Sánchez, V., & Atienza-Sahuquillo, C. (2012) Entrepreneurial behaviour: Impact of motivation factors on decision to create a new venture. Investigaciones Europeas de Dirección Economía de la Empressa, 18(2012), 132-138.
Botha, L. & Botha, T. (2017). Business Management by Portfolio. Cape Town: Juta & Company.
Buthelezi, T. (2011). Exploring Women Entrepreneurs in the Construction Industry. Retrieved 14 June 2014, from http://dspace.nwu.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10394/7326/Buthelezi_TTB.pdf?sequence=2.
Buyle, M., Braet, J., & Audenaert, A. (2013). Life cycle assessment in the construction sector: A review. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, (26) 379-388.
Cavana, R. Y. D., Delahaye, B. L., & Sekaran, U. (2001). Applied Business Research: Qualitative and quantitative methods (1st ed.). Sydney, Australia: John Wiley and Sons.
Chyi-Iyi, L., & Paul, D. (2009). Entrepreneurial Characteristics, Optimism, Pessimism, and Realism – Correlation or Collision? Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, 22(1), 1-22.
Cohoon, J.M., Wadhwa, V., & Mitchell, L. (2010). The anatomy of an entrepreneur: Are successful women entrepreneurs different from men? Kaufman: The foundation of Entrepreneurship. Retrieved on 24 April 2020 via: https://www.kauffman.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/successful_women_entrepreneurs_510.pdf .
Derera, E. (2015). Women's economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in agriculture: a case of Mashonaland West Province in Zimbabwe. A PhD Thesis Submitted to the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Retrieved 6 June 2020 via: https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10413/14120/Derera_Evelyn_2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Dyili, N. F., Ganiyu, I. O., Mahlobelana, N., Singh, S., & Naicker, A. (2018). The influence of supply risk in the procurement of construction materials. Journal of Contemporary Management, 15(Special Edition 1), 18-36.
Emmanuel, B.C., Tesha, D.N.G.A.K. and Mwaitenda, S.S. (2020). Barriers and motives for entrepreneurship in building construction industry in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. International Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 9(2), 45-62.
Erlingsson, C. & Brysiewicz, P. (2017). A hands-on guide to doing content analysis. African Journal of Emergency Medicine, 7(3), 93-99.
Eva, K. (2014). What’s it like to be a woman entrepreneur in the construction industry. Retrieved on 16 April 2020: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140714033340-84141656-what-s-it-like-to-be-a-woman-entrepreneur-and-in-the-construction-industry/.
Fielden, S. L., Davidson, M. J., Gale, A. W., & Davey, C. L. (2000). Women in construction: the untapped resource. Construction Management & Economics, 18(1), 113-121.
Ganiyu, I. O., Derera, E., Atiku, S. O. & Fields, Z. (2020). Measuring the effectiveness of work-life balance strategies in the manufacturing sector. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 1683-7584.
Ganiyu, I. O., Fields, Z., & Atiku, S. O. (2017). Work-Family Stressors and Manufacturing Firms Performance: Influence of Work-Life Balance Strategies. The Journal of Accounting and Management, 7(3), 60-71.
Haque, M.F., Haque, M.A. and Islam, M.S. (2014). Motivational theories- a critical analysis. ASA University Review, 8(1), 1-8.
Hamilton, E. (2013). The discourse of Entrepreneurial Masculinities (and Femininities). Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 25(1/2), 90-99.
Haupt, T.C. and Ndimande, J. (2019). A review on why women-owned construction firms fail in KwaZulu-Natal. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1378(2019), 1-20.
Kirkwood, J. (2009). Motivational factors in a push‐pull theory of entrepreneurship. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 4(5), 346-364.
Langowitz, N. S., Minniti, M., & Arenius, P. (2005). Global entrepreneurship monitor: 2004 report on women and entrepreneurship. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership Historical Research Reference in Entrepreneurship.
Lestch, C. (2019). The 5 industries are exploding for women entrepreneurs. Available at: https://thestoryexchange.org/construction-trucking-top-industries-women-businesses/ (Accessed on 15/04/2020).
Meyer, N. and Landsberg, J. (2015). Motivational factors influencing women’s entrepreneurship: A case study of female entrepreneurship in South Africa. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 9(11), 3453-3458.
Pines, A. M., Lerner, M., & Schwartz, D. (2010). Gender Differences in Entrepreneurship: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Times of Global Crisis. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 29(2), 186-198.
Sarri, K. & Trihopoulou, A. (2005). “Female Entrepreneurs’ Personal Characteristics and Motivation: A Review of Greek Situation”. Women in Management Review, 20(1), 24-36.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill building approach (7th edn.). West Sussex: John Wiley.
Şenol, F. (2011). The effect of Job Security on the Perception of External Motivational Tools: A study in Hotel Businesses. Journal of Economic and Social Studies, 1(2), 33-60.
Siddiqui, A.R.K.F., Khahro, S.H. and Akhund, M.A. (2017). Entrepreneurship in construction industry: Motives and barriers. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 8(6), 491-499.
Smallwood, J.J. and Agherdien, S. (2008). Women in South African Construction. International Conference on Multinational Construction Projects: Securing high performance through cultural awareness and dispute avoidance, November 21-23, 2008. Shanghai, China
Sospeter, N.G. (2014). Women entrepreneurship in the Tanzanian construction industry: Motives, processes, challenges and coping strategies. Retrieved on 20 April 2020 via: http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/5937.
Sospeter, N.G. (2016). Models for exploring women entrepreneurial motivation in Tanzanian construction industry. Business Management Review, 19(1), 1-10.
Sospeter, N.G., Rwelamila, P.D., Nchimbi, M. and Masoud, M. (2014). Review of theory and practice literature on women entrepreneurship in the Tanzanian construction industry: Establishing the missing link. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 19(2), 75-85.
Solesvik, M., Iakovleva, T. and Trifilova, A. (2019). Motivation of female entrepreneurs: a cross-national study. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 1-22.
Stephan, U., Hart, M., Mickiewicz, T. & Drews, C. (2015). Understanding Motivations for Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 15th April 2015, from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/408432/bis-15-132-understanding-motivations-for-entrepreneurship.pdf.
Sultana, A. (2011). Patriarchy and Women’s Subordination: A Theoretical Analysis. The Arts Faculty Journal, July 2010-June 2011, 1-18.
Thipe, B. (2019). Women in construction: More progress needed. Retrieved on 16 April 2020 : https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/494/194551.html
Vatal, S. (2015). Women in construction industry. Retrieved on 18 April 2020 via: https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Women_in_the_construction_industry
Verwey, I. (2006). Case Studies on how Women Entrepreneurs in Construction Experience the Entrepreneurial Process and Manage Growth. Retrieved 14 October 2014 from http://www.dbsa.org/en/About- df.
Wärnich, S., Carrel, M.R., Elbert, N.F. and Hatfield, R.D. (2015). Human Resource Management in South Africa. United Kingdom: Cengage Learning.
Williams, M. (2018). Where are all women? Why 99% of all construction site workers are male. Retrieved on 18 April 2020: https://www.theguarding.com/careers-blog/2015/may/19/where-are-all-the-women-why-99-of-construction-site-workers-are-male .
Zitzman, L. (2018). Why construction needs more women in leadership. Retrieved on 19 April 2020: https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/construction-needs-more-women/
Published
2021-07-07
How to Cite
Aneke, E. O. ., Derera, E. ., Bomani, M. ., & Ganiyu, I. O. (2021). An Assessment of the Motivational factors and Characteristics of Women Entrepreneurs in the Construction Industry in South Africa: Array. The Journal of Accounting and Management, 11(2). Retrieved from https://dj.univ-danubius.ro/index.php/JAM/article/view/1014
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