Technopreneurship: A Discursive Analysis of the Impact of Technology on the Success of Women Entrepreneurs in South Africa

A recent study on entrepreneurship showed that people in the digital age are more entrepreneurial, loyal, open-minded, and less motivated by money than the preceding generation. In this era of technology proliferation, it is almost impossible to separate a successful business from the role played by technology. The literature is increasingly showing that women remain relatively less tech-savvy than their male counterparts. Thus, the implications of this lag for women-owned businesses are clear. The paucity of literature in addressing this “gap”, that is, women lagging in technology and the need to provide the needed support, has not improved the situation. This challenge is more pronounced and relevant among women entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa because of their unique characteristics and infrastructural deficiencies. The purpose of this chapter is to provide insight and add to the discourse on the ongoing challenges regarding the implications of technology on the strategic business decisions of women and in developing economies such as South Africa.
This qualitative study follows a two-pronged approach. The research firstly undertakes a thematic synthesis of current literature on technopreneurship and the impact of technology on women’s entrepreneurship with a view to providing a basis for understanding the implications for the business strategy of women in the era of Gen Y and Z. Secondly, it explores the deployment of the emergent themes from the synthesis as revealed in the daily practices of well-established South African women-owned businesses. The preliminary findings of the study firstly confirm a limited established scholarship on technopreneurship in South Africa. The study, in conclusion, offers a preliminary distinction of thematic categories of more or less established scholarship relevant to the field, thereby indicating priority areas for development in women’s entrepreneurship in South Africa.