CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS IN THE NIGERIAN FASHION INDUSTRY: A STUDY OF DELTA STATE

Abstract

The fashion industry is now an international and highly globalized industry with clothing oftendesigned in one country, manufactured in another, and sold worldwide. There are many femaleentrepreneurs all over the world and their impact has started to gain attention and momentum.However, prejudice against female entrepreneurs is experienced more in Africa and otherdeveloping countries due to cultural practices, religious bigotry, discrimination and tradition ofpatriarchal cultures. This study focused on the challenges and prospects of female entrepreneursin the Nigerian fashion industry, using Delta State as a case study. Four theories were reviewedin the study: Cultural feminist theory, social action theory, human motivational need theory andrisk bearing theory. The cultural feminist theory was adopted as the theoretical framework forthe study. The mixed methods research design was adopted in the study. The sample size of thestudy was 389, as determined through the Taro Yamane statistical method of sample sizedetermination. Quantitative and qualitative instruments were used to collect data in the study.The questionnaire was the quantitative instrument, while the in-depth interview guide andfocused group discussion were the qualitative instruments for data collection. The data wereprocessed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Descriptive statistics,such as simple percentages, frequency tables, and graphic illustrations, were used to analyze thequantitative data. However, qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Threehypotheses were tested in the study using the Chi square test statistic. Findings from the studyshow that credit facilities are not readily available and accessible to female entrepreneurs inDelta state. It was also found that level of educational attainment plays a role in influencing theparticipation of females in the fashion industry in Delta state. Also, all hypotheses tested were allaccepted as they showed significant relationships. The study recommends that governmentshould make credit facilities readily available and accessible to female entrepreneurs in Deltastate.