Leadership and issues affecting the productivity of women entrepreneurs in KwaZulu-Natal

abstract

This briefing highlights the opportunities that are available for women entrepreneurial leaders in a country that has an imbalanced economic empowerment history with a discriminatory past. We discuss the leadership styles of women entrepreneurs and the opportunities that are open to them, as well as the challenges they face in increasingly competitive economic activities. We also focus on how women are exposed to violence, which impacts on their productivity as entrepreneurs. We synthesise leadership from a cross-cultural perspective to exhibit the commonalities and differences affecting women entrepreneurs and how they have struggled to achieve their present success.

keywords:

• leadership
• entrepreneur
• women-owned business
• violence