Female entrepreneurs in Africa: negotiating power and production in the informal markets

The informal sector forms an important component of women?s livelihoods in Africa, and women in the informal sector contribute substantially to the portion of the continent?s GDP that arises from non-agricultural employment. However, to what extent does participation in the informal economy help or hinder women?s economic development in Africa? What factors contribute to women?s ability to navigate the informal sector in the same manner as men? The paper attempts to adequately to ascertain the specific constraints and social contexts that face poor women in the informal markets. While these factors do impact the ease and extent to which women are able to participate equally in the informal sector, it, by no means, implies a lack of resistance or negotiation on the part of women.