Perceptions and Experiences of Women Beneficiaries’ Participating in the Enterprise Development Programme

Abstract

After many years post-transition to democracy, poverty remains a challenge, and women experience higher prevalence of poverty. In addressing the reduction of feminization of poverty, programmes such as Enterprise development are imperative in resolving unemployment and income generation for women in Africa. South Africa is also committed to supporting enterprise development through policies, strategies, incentives, and funding programmes. Evidence suggests that when women are empowered, they are successful in managing sustainable enterprises. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of women beneficiaries participating in the enterprise and empowerment development programme. Amidst the well-documented macro-level challenges encountered by women entrepreneurs, this study seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge on enterprise development programmes by exploring the psychological factors that either impede or facilitate women's participation. Semi structured in-depth interview format was used to collect their experiential accounts. To evaluate the complexities of the interrelationship between individual motivation, culture, social constructionism and pre-historical social context from which the individual emanates, Bourdieu’s framework of habitus, field and capital, and Zimmerman’s empowerment theories were the frameworks of evaluative analysis of the programme’s empowerment processes and empowerment outcomes. The data was analysed using Braun and Clarke (2006) six phase guide to Thematic Analysis (TA). The study was made up of eleven participants with relevant knowledge and experience, invited from a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) named Taking Care of Business (TCB). The study found that sense of belonging resulted to mental, physical, social, economic and behavioural outcomes. In addition, a subjective feeling of deep connection within the social field influenced by features of collective experiences across intersectionality was pivotal for the participants perceived belonging. The participants' constructions explicated their experiences of empowerment process by developing psychological capital (PsyCap), as a significant resource that aid perseverance to participate through the challenges and the hardships of the programme. The process of psychological and economic empowerment primed by sense of belonging, and the development of psychological capital (PsyCap) yielded empowerment outcomes of economic capital, cultural capital and social capital.