A multi-nation study on women entrepreneurs’ response to COVID-19 crisis in the Global South: a feminist perspective

No global crisis has shocked the world economy in terms of supply and demand as COVID-19 has, in terms of its intensity and impact. Given the nature and structure of their businesses, many of which are MSMEs, women entrepreneurs have been disproportionately impacted. The COVID-19 pandemic created a ‘life vs. livelihoods predicament’ with specific trade-offs between health and economic risk. In this study, we argue that although all businesses must adapt their business models during crises and shocks, this is particularly challenging for women entrepreneurs whose businesses are vulnerable to economic meltdowns and shutdowns, such as the COVID-19 global pandemic. Analysed from the perspective of feminism and institutional theory, we consider how public policy responses in the areas of economic support and public health helped to mitigate the pandemic’s potential consequences. We also consider how the resilience and flexibility of women equally added to their capacity to respond to the crisis. This multi-nation study evaluates the response of women entrepreneurs to the COVID-19 crisis across seven Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. A qualitative, discursive methodological approach, was employed using comparative content analysis to examine focus group data. The findings identify gaps in the policy-practice nexus, highlighting countries where support is weak but the practice is strong, and vice versa. Recommendations for future research are advanced as we examine how most of the participants successfully pivoted their pre-pandemic business model.