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Abstract

There is an emerging concern over the perceived nature of women's entrepreneurship as an important untapped source of economic growth. This growing perception finds support in the women entrepreneurs' potential to create new jobs for themselves and others. It also finds support in their potential to offer the society different solutions to management, organizational and business problems. Yet, they unarguably represent a minority of all entrepreneurs. There certainly is a long-felt need for a systematic study on women entrepreneurs in specific contexts. The purpose of this study is therefore to attempt a contribution in addressing such a need. The study is guided by one specific research question namely, What is the theoretical rationale for research on women entrepreneurs in the Nigerian context. The study which employs the analytical method, has the potential to change the landscape of economic activities in the two states by exposing the unseen capacities of women entrepreneurs and stimulate further research into the subject in various contexts. The contribution of the study lies in its provision of considerable theoretical bases for research on women entrepreneurs.

Keywords: Women Entrepreneurs; Research Theories; Women in Business; Entreprenuers in Nigeria

Introduction

Entrepreneurs serve as agents of employment creation, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and provision of resources in the labour market. With the emergence of the private sector as the major participant or player in the industrial sector, many countries have experienced improvement in women's participation in economic activities as against when they experienced repudiation owing to their family responsibilities, lack of skills, social and cultural barriers (Josiane, 1998). Women entrepreneurs no doubt make a substantial contribution to a nation's economy through their participation in start-ups and growth of small and medium businesses (United Nations, 2006). They have become the central aspect of economic development and public policy concern in most countries, although their interests and activities in economic growth and development through entrepreneurship have received a handful of outstanding interest of researchers as noted by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) in 2005. Research addressing their specific characteristics is comparatively scarce. Women entrepreneurs are unique in the sense that they effectively combine their productive and reproductive roles, striving for flexibility in hours of work which permit them to take care of their children and also...

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