Religious Practices and Women Entrepreneurial Participation: A Case Study of Kebbi and Sokoto States, Nigeria

Abstract

The study is a sectorial assessment of the influence of religious factor variables on women entrepreneurial participation in Kebbi and Sokoto States. From the five sectors wholesale & retail, agriculture, education, manufacturing & processing and hospitality sectors, a sample of 500 women entrepreneurs were purposively selected and the multinomial logistic regression was utilized to test the study hypothesis. Findings indicate varying degrees of influence of religious factor variables in predicting women entrepreneurial participation in the five sectors. Interestingly religious factor variables: RIDV = my religion influenced my decision to go into entrepreneurial ventures, have positive significant influence on women entrepreneurial participation in wholesale/ retail and manufacturing/ processing sectors, but does not have influence on women entrepreneurial participation in the agric and education sectors. DUEA= I am being discriminated upon while carrying out entrepreneurial activity because of my religion was found to have negative influence in the wholesale/retail, agriculture, education and manufacturing/ processing sectors. Religious factor variable RDBE=my religious practice discourages me from borrowing money with interest to finance my enterprise has no significant influence in any of the sectors examined. RINE= my religion influences the nature of my enterprise was found to have negative influence on women entrepreneurial participation in the agriculture and manufacturing/ processing sectors. RSNB= I receive support from my religious network only have negative influence in the agricultural sector, but does not have influence in other sectors examined in Kebbi and Sokoto States. Therefore, to promote entrepreneurial participation among women, women entrepreneurs should utilize their religious network for the benefit of their enterprise.