| Research Question | Themes | Category |
| How do gender biases impact female entrepreneurial performance in the service sector? | Reduced clientele and mental stress. Loss of contracts and decreased revenue. Struggling to compete fairly in the service sector due to insufficient government support for women-owned businesses. Low morale and confidence in conducting business. | Obstacles to business success |
The responses for the mentioned themes are displayed in the tables below, with “Pp” denoting the participant..
Theme A: Reduced clientele and mental stress
| Participants | Responses |
| Pp1 | Due to lack of trust, patronage is low, and this consequently slows down business. Some of my loyal clients who constantly patronise me came through referrals – they have seen my work, so they trust me. Sometimes I spend too many resources trying to satisfy my client just to retain their patronage. I spend a lot of time nursing the ego of existing clients to keep the patronage going. There are clients who would threaten to leave if they are not overly satisfied |
| Pp5 | The fitness trainer reported that she constantly lost clients to her male counterparts for being a female fitness trainer |
| Pp8 | The demand for a male head which stems from male superiority, affects my business. I have contemplated quitting the business a few times. The fitness trainer reported that she constantly lost clients to her male counterparts for being a female fitness trainer |
| Pp9 | I get low patronage from men. My existing male clients are mainly from referrals, some of my males’ clients would not ordinarily come on their own to patronize me had it not been for her past excellent work they had seen elsewhere |
Theme B: Loss of contracts and decreased revenue
| Participants | Responses |
| Pp2 | Some women have issues with us working with their husbands. I started a design for a male client but before the job would commence, I lost it. His wife was against me working with her husband because, according to her, I am too pretty to work with her husband. Their insecurity cost us a lot. |
Theme C: Struggling to compete fairly in the service sector due to insufficient government support for women-owned businesses
| Participants | Responses |
| Pp1 | Gender policies enforcement is a problem in Nigeria. When we encounter gender related problem, we have nowhere to go. When you go to the police you end up spending so much money on an endless case. Generally, policies don’t work in Nigeria and if you are a woman, that’s double a double jeopardy. Some female entrepreneurs meet up clients in a private place for meetings and some get molested, and they do not get justice |
| Pp8 | Lack of support from the government impacts on my business operations. I spend more money, time and energy solving external problems on my own with no help from the authorities. |
Theme D: Low morale and confidence in conducting business.
| Participants | Responses |
| Pp3 | They test me first before giving me a chance because they doubt my capabilities, but my male counterparts get the jobs easily without scrutiny. It can be quite rattling because even though I know my onion, it makes me begin to doubt myself. It makes me feel like I am not good enough. The moment I begin to doubt myself it affects my performance |
| Pp6 | To very large extent the lack of trust in competence affects me. In the initial time of my business when I was still trying to find my feet in the industry, it affected my morale as at that time. I had the thought of ‘do I really need to go into this’. It is an every-day struggle for me and my business |
It is disheartening to learn that gender bias in entrepreneurship remains a significant issue, even with heightened awareness and ongoing efforts to address it. Recent findings emphasize the persistent challenges faced by female founders in Nigeria, underscoring the need for change.
Thankfully, Acereal Consult is proactively tackling these biases. Collaborating with Nigerian entrepreneurship authorities, we are developing a framework aimed at fostering a more equitable and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports women’s entrepreneurship.
By encouraging an inclusive environment and dismantling barriers encountered by women entrepreneurs, we can nurture a culture of innovation and progress that benefits all. Let us unite in celebrating and elevating female founders in Nigeria and worldwide as we strive towards a future where entrepreneurship transcends gender boundaries.
#FemaleFounders #InclusiveEntrepreneurship #GenderEquality
