A gender analysis of micro-entrepreneurship in developing-transition countries: insights from Botswana

Policy-makers and members of the donor community have acknowledged the importance of micro-enterprises to livelihoods in developing countries. Their contribution to household income is significant to the extent that in some developing countries it exceeds that of the formal sector. However, the dearth of information regarding the ways in which male-owned and female-owned micro-enterprises grow and change over time is becoming a major academic and policy concern. Using Botswana as the case study country, this paper presents a qualitative analysis of microenterprises in developing countries, using data collected on issues of source of start-up capital, perceived growth, and the dynamics of household decision making in the informal sector. A number of challenges were identified including inadequacy of policy support on micro-enterprises, the gap between male and female-owned entrepreneurs in terms of perceived growth of their operational units and inadequacy of programs for start-up of micro-enterprises. Comparatively, female-owned micro-enterprises were faced with a myriad of more challenges than male-owned micro-enterprises. The outputs are particularly useful to support decision makers, and focus on enhancing empowerment and awareness on available support programs to female entrepreneurs for employment creation in specific locations.