DOES RESOURCE SCARCITY CONSTRAIN RURAL WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURIAL PERFORMANCE IN KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA?

Abstract

This study examines whether resource scarcity significantly constrains the entrepreneurial performance of rural women in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Anchored in the Resource-Based View (RBV), the study adopts a quantitative research design using survey data collected from 273 rural women entrepreneurs across uMhlabuyalingana, Big5Hlabisa, and eJozini municipalities. Sample size determination followed Yamane’s (1967) formula, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests of independence. The findings reveal statistically significant relationships between entrepreneurial performance and seven resource-based constraints: leadership skills, financial institutional barriers, entrepreneurial experience, regulatory constraints, access to financial resources, technological limitations, and limited training opportunities. The results demonstrate that the absence of foundational tangible and intangible resources systematically restricts rural women’s business growth and sustainability. The study extends RBV theory by demonstrating that in severely resource-constrained rural contexts, entrepreneurial performance is shaped less by resource optimisation and more by structural exclusion from baseline resources. Policy recommendations emphasise targeted financial inclusion, decentralised training, digital infrastructure development, and gender-responsive regulatory reform.