Resumen
Women business ownership is cardinal for long-term economic growth. Research provides divergent reasons for the difference in the characteristics of SMMEs owned by women and those owned by men. In this study, a quantitative survey was conducted among 650 formal SMMEs in Soweto Township, South Africa, using questionnaires. A third of the respondents comprised women, who were characterised as generally being older (67.6% were over the age of 40), having a higher level of education (11.1% had three years or more of tertiary education) and being involved on a full-time basis in SMMEs (100%). When compared with their male counterparts, fewer young women were involved in business ownership, and a sizeable component of older women-owners/managers exists. No major difference regarding education was found between genders. Both gender groups started their businesses mainly because of unemployment. Far more women respondents than men located their businesses in small shopping centres. The results also showed that more women were in business for more than five years and that more women-owned businesses showed growth in income over the preceding year. These findings are aligned with national and international surveys which show that the gap between men and women business owners is narrowing. Finally, the results showed a need for support programmes focused on empowering both genders to succeed in all phases of the business life cycle, with a primary need for improved marketing skills. Business support programmes can be successful only if improved communication is established between programme developers and business owners.