Women entrepreneurs need more than a quick fix

The author critiques the We-Fi initiative's potential reliance on 'economic instrumentalism,' warning that financial access cannot solve gender inequality if structural barriers—such as property laws and patriarchal social norms—remain unaddressed.

• The Women's Entrepreneurship and Finance Initiative (We-Fi) aims to provide over US$1 million to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries through finance, mentorship, technical training, and public policy advocacy.
• There is a significant global gap in business ownership and financing for women, with fewer than one-third of businesses worldwide being woman-owned and approximately 70% of women-owned small and medium enterprises in the developing world lacking adequate finance.
• The 'Smart Economics' doctrine used by the World Bank has been criticized for commodifying women by treating empowerment as a tool for economic growth rather than an end goal, which leads to the neglect of structural inequalities like legal restrictions on property ownership and credit access.
• To achieve lasting impact, We-Fi must move beyond the narrative that women are better loan repayers due to 'selflessness' and instead invest in legal reforms, gender education, and the active involvement of local men to counteract patriarchy.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2017). Women entrepreneurs need more than a quick fix. https://saiia.org.za/research/women-entrepreneurs-need-more-than-a-quick-fix/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Women entrepreneurs need more than a quick fix. 2017. https://saiia.org.za/research/women-entrepreneurs-need-more-than-a-quick-fix/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Women entrepreneurs need more than a quick fix |date=18 July 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/women-entrepreneurs-need-more-than-a-quick-fix/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2017women, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Women entrepreneurs need more than a quick fix}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/women-entrepreneurs-need-more-than-a-quick-fix/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }