Redefining Entrepreneurial Leadership: Guyanese Women Navigating Structural Bias, Cultural Expectations, and Intersectional Barriers Through Inclusive Innovation and Community Enterprise
Abstract:
This study
explores how Guyanese women entrepreneurs redefine entrepreneurial leadership
by navigating multifaceted challenges rooted in structural bias, cultural
expectations, and intersectional barriers. Against a backdrop of significant
government investment exceeding $156 billion in women’s empowerment
initiatives, this research illuminates the lived realities and leadership
strategies of women leading community enterprises and engaging in inclusive
innovation across Guyana. Despite robust economic growth and an increasing
share of women-owned ventures particularly in agribusiness where women now lead
65% of new ventures these entrepreneurs confront persistent gendered social
norms, limited access to finance, and entrenched workplace inequalities. Using
a qualitative methodology combining in-depth interviews, focus groups, and case
studies, this study documents how Guyanese women leverage inclusive innovation
practices and community-oriented business models as mechanisms to overcome
systemic obstacles and cultivate sustainable enterprises. Findings reveal how
leadership is redefined not only through business acumen but also through
relational, culturally grounded approaches that prioritize social cohesion and
collective advancement. By centering the perspectives of women navigating
intersectional marginalization, this research contributes novel insights to
entrepreneurial leadership theory and practice that emphasize inclusivity and
community impact. The study offers policy and managerial implications aimed at
fostering equitable support systems and amplifying the transformative potential
of women-led enterprises in developing economies. This investigation enriches
the discourse on gender, intersectionality, and innovation in entrepreneurship
and provides a compelling case for reimagining leadership in contexts of social
complexity.
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