Women entrepreneurs in microenterprises of the informal economy of Harare and the prospects for economic empowerment

Entrepreneurship in the informal economy of Harare, Zimbabwe is an im-portant livelihood strategy for women and has potential to economically em-power them. It has been observed that entrepreneurial initiatives increase their income, enable them to provide for their families, reduce dependency on their husbands, foster self esteem and greater participation in household decision making. The paper aimed to give women entrepreneurs’ voice on whether entrepreneurship in the informal economy of Harare has accorded them an opportunity to engage in productive work that is economically empowering. The women shared their life history narrations on how they got involved in entrepreneurial activities in the informal economy and the challenges they faced as they travelled through their entrepreneurial journey. The paper uncovered that despite all the efforts of gender mainstreaming women still find it difficult to access credit and they still face obstacles to engage in productive work due to cultural norms and values that are entrenched in social institutions. The paper concluded that beyond gender mainstreaming there is need for changes within institutions that makes it difficult for women to access credit. There is also need for change in cultural institutions that perpetuate gender division of labour and other cultural norms that prevents women from realising their potential and gainful employment.