Assessing the barriers to female entrepreneurs in developing countries: evidence from Ghanaian construction industry

Purpose The construction industry worldwide remains male-dominated, with the underrepresentation of women at all career levels and businesses. This situation could undermine efforts toward addressing sustainable development goal (SDG) 5 for gender equality and empowerment in the industry. Hence, this study aimed to empirically assess the barriers hindering female entrepreneurs specifically within Ghana’s construction sector for suggested career development provisions. Design/methodology/approach A concurrent mixed-method research design was employed, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data in an integrated manner. Qualitative data involved semi-structured interviews with 10 female entrepreneurs in Ghana’s construction industry. Quantitative data involved an online survey of 31 female construction entrepreneurs, measuring responses to 21 variables identified in prior literature as potential barriers. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis, whereas the quantitative data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Subsequently, the results were compared using MAXQDA tools. Findings The qualitative findings identified nine prominent themes relating to barriers – including gender bias, work-life conflicts, lack of support networks, safety issues and access to capital and/or opportunities. The one-sample t -test utilized in analysing the quantitative data identified 13 significant barriers such as lack of role models, harassment, lack of credit access, stressful work demands, underutilization of skills and low salaries. Furthermore, the comparative model using the MAXQDA tools revealed that the empirical support and confirmation across both data sources for challenges discussed theoretically – such as gender stereotyping, work-life imbalances due to caregiving responsibilities and limited access to financing impacting business success and growth. Research limitations/implications The study highlighted discrimination, intimidation and harassment as significant issues faced by women. These findings bring to the fore the need for society and policy to realign towards changing the status quo of gender inequality within the industry. From a practical standpoint, promoting inclusion through partner networks, enforcement of clear anti-discrimination and anti-harassment workplace policies is needed. Originality/value The findings reveal socio-cultural gender biases in developing countries such as Ghana, which must be understood in order to develop appropriate strategies that will encourage inclusivity in addressing SDGs in construction in developing countries, particularly goal 5, which aims for gender equality and the empowerment of all women.