Kern, Judith Johanna2011-05-062011-05-062011-05-06http://hdl.handle.net/10539/9665MM - P&DMThis study explores the barriers that rural women, who run micro enterprises in rural South Africa, encounter in their work and how these affect the growth of their businesses. The research is based on a qualitative case study approach. Five business women living and working in the rural KwaZulu-Natal were interviewed and observed. The purposes of this study were to identify barriers to growth and to understand empowerment needs to overcome the barriers. The findings of this study show that rural women have to deal with 31 barriers in growing enterprises. They face not only financial barriers, but also bear the burden of living in isolation, on the periphery of development. The women are constrained and marginalised through weak infrastructure, low support from institutions, government and the legacy of the past. The findings show that the women are, however, able to overcome their problems. They are capacitating themselves through building networks, forming cooperatives, skilling themselves, acquiring access to cell phones and finding coping mechanisms to deal with their lives and businessesenMicro enterprisesRural developmentWomen and developmentThesis