Challenges and Motivations of Women Entrepreneurs in a Crisis: A South African Perspective

Women's entrepreneurship plays a key role in achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9. The study investigated the difficulties experienced by female business owners during a crisis and the motivations to continue with their entrepreneurial ventures despite unprecedented challenges. An interpretivist paradigm guided the research. Semi-structured interviews with sixteen (16) women entrepreneurs in Msunduzi Municipality illustrate that work-life conflicts, underuse of digital capabilities and scarcity of financial resources are the major challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. The findings showcase the prevalence of necessity-based intrinsic motivation in a time of crisis. The original contribution of the study is in showing how the South African economic conditions shape women entrepreneurship in critical times. The study recommends the development of dedicated policies to encourage intrinsic motivation among local women entrepreneurs despite economic hardships. The generalisability of the study's findings is limited to the KwaZulu Natal Province in South Africa.