Women, polygamy and family entrepreneuring in southwest Benin: the role of endogenous knowledge

Abstract

PurposeAs families engage in entrepreneurship, particularly in developing economies, women's engagement in such activities is subject to the traditional cultures, norms and values of the communities to which they belong. This paper aims to investigate how the socio-cultural context influences women's entrepreneurship as women engage in “family entrepreneuring”.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on an inductive qualitative approach to explore how multiple cultural, social and economic contexts encourage women's entrepreneurship and, thus, position them at the centre of family entrepreneuring within this community. Using snowballing techniques, we analyse narratives from 51 women entrepreneurs, generated through semi-structured interviews, to reveal key insights into the practice of family entrepreneuring.FindingsThe findings reveal the complex socio-cultural context within the “Adja” community, where polygamy, a traditional and cultural practice, enables the transfer of culturally and socially embedded informal knowledge. The study explains how women's entrepreneuring activities are supported by informal in-family apprenticeships, resulting in family members learning specific skills while also experiencing the feeling of belonging to the family. Showcasing the heterogeneity of contexts, particularly those found in Africa, this study challenges the normative view within the Global North and the dominance of the “heroic male” in entrepreneurship by showcasing how women (especially matriarchs) are significant actors in training other women, co-wives, daughters and relatives in family entrepreneuring.Originality/valueThus, this study contributes to the extant literature on family entrepreneuring by revealing an unusual case of women from polygamous families becoming the focal actors in family entrepreneuring activity and challenging the culturally ascribed gender roles to evolve into the breadwinners in their households, as well as focusing on how this process is driven by endogenous knowledge exchange.

Entrepreneurship under patriarchy: the intersecting forces characterising everyday life for Nigeria’s women entrepreneurs

“…Within this, various factors and socio- cultural elements are brought forward. Following Dagoudo et al (2023), the core concepts of gender and patriarchal expectations are maintained while allowing for variation in explanations from lived experience. The analysis is built around the intersectional nature of various factors discussed by the participants.…”

“…For Nigeria, Akanle et al (2018) suggest women entrepreneurs have become the main source of income for many families. However, despite the growing importance of women in economic development (Brush & Cooper, 2012), patriarchy remains a dominant socio-cultural norm, something Dagoudo et al (2023) put down to the persistence of weak government structures.…”