THE EFFECT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT ON WOMEN EMPOWERMENT (A STUDY OF THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPEMENT AWKA.)

ABSTRACT :This study examined the effect of entrepreneurial development on women empowerment, a case study of ministry of women affairs Anambra state. The objective of this study amongst many is to examine the hindrance of finance towards entrepreneurial development for women empowerment and identify socio cultural problems inhibiting the success of entrepreneurial development for women empowerment. The various contribution of entrepreneurial development on women empowerment includes various contributory effect on both the economy of the state as it helps in increasing its gross domestic produce and income as well as the immediate society and family of those who are entrepreneurially strengthened. In an attempt to look into the problems, several literatures, studies and works were reviewed. Sample survey method was used in carrying out the research.A sample of 3o6 was selected from the population using simple random sampling method. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources and presented in tables and analysed using percentage and frequencies. Hypotheses were formulated and tested using Chi square test method. It was discovered during the research exercise that women do not get enough funds to carry out their businesses. It also showed that,there are no socio cultural problems inhibiting the success of entrepreneurial development for women in Anambra state. Following the above findings, the researcher has recommended that the government should endeavour to make funds available for these women in order to give them a head start in business,centres that are not functional should be made to function and trainers should be well remunerated to make them carry out their function well.

AN OVERVIEW OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE

• Introduction
  • Background of study

Women’s participation in the workplace, leadership role in the political and social arenas and access to credit is regarded as women empowerment. It is a process that enables women to gain access to and control over the physical resources as well as in the power structure. It is a mechanism of awareness and capacity building leading to greater participation in the decision making process (Sarker, 2006). Before the 20^th century, women were operating businesses as a way of supplementing income.  The term entrepreneur is used to describe individuals who are the sole and ultimate creator of wealth i.e. one who is concerned with opportunity creation and seeking behavior in filling in gaps and bringing together resources in innovative ways. Udeh (1999). During the mid-18^th century, it was popular for women to own businesses like brothels, ale houses, taverns and retail shops among others. Most of these businesses were not perceived with good reputations because it was considered shameful for women to be in such positions. In the 1990s, due to a more progressive way of thinking and the rise of feminism, female entrepreneur began to be a widely accepted term and although these women entrepreneurs serviced women consumers, they were making great strides. Women were however more involved in the business world when the idea of women in business became palatable to the general public. During the great depression, some of the opportunities afforded to women took a backseat and society seemed to reverse its way, reverting to more traditional roles. This seemed to affect women working in business but was however a push to those in the entrepreneurial world. Women started their own business looking to survive in this time of hardship. Most women were focused on home based business especially those in need to balance the home and their business. Wiki (2015)

Globally women empowerment has recently gained considerable importance as an area for policy and policy interventions in most of the organizations of the world. They have recognized the benefits of the empowerment that can be achieved through effective participation of women. And of course, promotion of entrepreneurship plays a vital role in empowering the womenfolk. Morsheed & Haque (2015) Women have been regarded as the nuclei of nation and builder and molder of its destiny. It is fact that,’ when there is development of women, family develops, the society develops and the country develops’. They are the catalyst of development and with them we prosper, but without them we are poor. According to previous studies women entrepreneurship is an important tool for empowering women. In India, with such a huge population and problems of unemployment, women entrepreneurship happens to be one of the best tools for women empowerment. It is sufficient that they possess basic knowledge of language and entrepreneurial skills. As women have to fulfill dual roles, entrepreneurship is a more suitable profession than regular employment either in public or private sector. Women entrepreneurship is the process where women take, lead and organize a business or industry and provide employment opportunities to others. Women are venturing into all kind of enterprises. Women entrepreneurs are considered to be most important economic agents for economic augmentation of the country. They are the owners, producers, co-coordinators, sellers, decision makers, risk takers, innovators etc. They also generate employment opportunities and contribute in improving family’s living standard. Today’s women must supplement the family income using their potential and skills that they possess. Her skills and competencies maybe sharpened and turned by way of training. Dwivedi & Mishra (2013).

This scenario is the same case with Nigeria where there is population burst and the level of employment is not commensurate with the available employment opportunity. Women perform 66 percent of the world’s work, produce 50 percent of the food, but earn10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property. Women, Business and the Law, World Bank (2011) globally, women represent 49.6% of the total population, but only 40.8% of the total workforce in the formal sector. There is no denying the fact that developing countries of the world are reclining under the brunt of acute shortage of capital and alarming problems of underemployment. Small entrepreneurs with their built attributes of low capital intensiveness and enormous employment generation potential can serve as propelling agents to break the vicious circle of poverty and can strike the engine of economic development Srivastva (1994).

The ministry of women affairs in Nigeria was established in response to the UN’s agreement to establish institutional mechanism for the advancement of women and women matters through a decree in1989.The ministry was then devolved to the different states in the country under the leadership of commissioners to enable the work to be easily available to the women in the country. It later grew to include being a medium to create avenue to empower the women folk especially by teaching them entrepreneurial skills to earn and supplement income in their various families. This study therefore aims at looking at the effect of entrepreneurial development on women empowerment.

• STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The main challenge of improving women empowerment through entrepreneurial development is the issue of lack of financial resources or undercapitalization for the women. This is inherent in the fact that although some specialized funds and programs have been undertaken to facilitate collecting credit towards small businesses with more relaxed conditions in Nigeria such as micro finance banks but in practice, in most of the cases, entrepreneurs are required to offer collateral to guarantee loan repayment. Majority of the women do not possess any assets and cannot formally offer the necessary securities against loans.

Another problem associated with the effectiveness of entrepreneurial development on women empowerment is the socio cultural problem associated with gender discrimination and stereotype bias in the course of women becoming self-employed thereby inhibiting her notion towards innovation and initiatives.

Apart from these, further problem associated with how effective entrepreneurial development can be is the problem of instructors in entrepreneur schools being employed mainly on part time basis with poor remuneration, poor effort in equipping women who have completed learning skills to start up their business, shortfall in management expertise of business by women in ways of advertisement, expansion and maintenance of business to prevent it from going under as most women although might have skills but they have no education on how to manage these businesses to prevent the above problems.

• RESEARCH QUESTION

1. What effect does entrepreneurial development have on women empowerment?
2. Are there hindrances of finances towards entrepreneurial development for women empowerment?
3. What socio cultural problems are inhibiting the success of entrepreneurial development for women empowerment?
4. How can women entrepreneurs be informed on better management of their business to better empower them?
   • OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The general objective of study is to analyze the effect of entrepreneurial development on women empowerment.

While specific objectives include;

1. To examine the hindrance of finance towards entrepreneurial development for women empowerment.
2. To identify socio cultural problems inhibiting the success of entrepreneurial development for women empowerment
3. To determine ways to better inform women entrepreneurs on better management of their business to better empower them.
   • RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

Hypothesis One

H1: There is significant relationship between entrepreneurial development and women empowerment.

H0: There is no significant relationship between entrepreneurial development and women empowerment

Hypothesis Two

H1:  Funds are not adequately available towards entrepreneurial development for women empowerment

H0: Funds are adequately available towards entrepreneurial development for women empowerment

Hypothesis Three

H1: There are no socio cultural problems inhibiting the success of entrepreneurial development for women empowerment.

H0: There are socio cultural problems inhibiting the success of entrepreneurial development for women empowerment.

• SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

This study has aimed at providing its views on the effect of entrepreneurial development on women empowerment and the hindrances to its success. This work also serves as a reference to students and other researchers on works similar or related to the topic and it also suggest to policy makers better ways to improve entrepreneurial development programmes to empower women as they are very vital in any society. It also increases knowledge of readers on the importance of entrepreneurship on women empowerment.

• SCOPE/DELIMITATION OF STUDY

This research work made use of the ministry of women affairs and social development Awka as its population.

• LIMITATION OF STUDY

In the course of carrying out this research, certain limitations were encountered. One of the limitation was in relation to the time wasted in collecting data from the ministry as a result of the bureaucratic and red tape behavior inherent. This further increased the problem of finance for the researcher in transporting himself to the ministry. There was also the challenge of having the staff fill out questionnaires and answering of certain questions during the interview for fear of being identified as the respondent to certain questions.

In view of the aforementioned problems encountered in carrying out the research, the researcher made attempts to overcome some of the limitations by collecting the phone number of one of the staff to be kept informed of the movement of letters and other applications and questionnaires to prevent unnecessarily going to the ministry and saving finance on waste of transport. The researcher also promised anonymity to the respondent in answering and filling out questions in the questionnaires.

• DEFINITION OF TERMS

Entrepreneur: Entrepreneur is used to describe individuals who have ideas for products and/or services that they turn into a working business. Wiki (2015)

Empowerment: Empowerment is the process of enhancing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired outcome.

Employment: The state of being employed or having a job. Arcus dictionary

Culture: Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notion of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individuals and group strivings. www.tamu.edu (2015)

Development: Development means growth or change or planned growth. Olewe (2001)

Get Related Research Work Here