The nature, role and importance of family support for micro-female entrepreneurs from Cameroon

This paper explores the ambivalent nature of family support for women starting and developing a business in Cameroon. Being embedded in a collectivist family culture, women expected and received welcome assistance from family members both financial and in kind, but this was often accompanied by burdensome conditions that negated the value of the initial assistance. Family members were obliged to help where domestic poverty was extreme or emergencies occurred, but assistance in starting businesses was not considered as essential. Instead, any woman showing any business success became a target as a source of support which was difficult to refuse. Family collectivism, whilst initially welcome, was thus counterproductive to entrepreneurial success.