Decolonizing entrepreneurship

Women’s entrepreneurship is increasingly prominent as it has shown effectiveness in tackling gender inequality and promoting economic and social development, especially in Global South countries. However, the prevailing perspective on entrepreneurship studies remains Eurocentric, male, white, individual, neoliberal and elitist. In socioeconomically vulnerable regions, precarious working and living conditions affect people in ways that go beyond gender, leading to the segregation of women based on their intersectional identities. Structural barriers, such as lack of access to education and professional development opportunities, hardened funding and networking, gender stereotypes, institutionalized lack of support and accumulated family responsibilities, point to the importance of decolonizing entrepreneurship. The chapter examines marginalized female entrepreneurs, stressing the need to better understand their challenges in the Global South. Entrepreneurship has the potential to strike a balance between work and family life; yet, in reality it often stands as the sole viable path to generate income, attain economic independence and foster emancipation. The chapter analyzes the gendered and socio-political context of women’s entrepreneurship in Africa and Latin America through a decolonial and intersectional lens. By identifying key challenges and obstacles, this chapter also serves to provide foundations for crafting empowering and emancipatory strategies for women entrepreneurs in marginalized regions.