Analysis of social entrepreneurship in Zambia: a case study of female university graduates.

The emergence of social entrepreneurship as a worthwhile approach for alleviating social problems has shown that women are more prone to social entrepreneurship, especially as they take up courses in entrepreneurship at university level. The current study was motivated by the increasing
number of women taking up entrepreneurial activities with a social focus. The study was undertaken among female university graduates in Zambia to analyse aspects of social entrepreneurship intention. The emergence of social entrepreneurship as a worthwhile approach for alleviating social problems and that women are more prone to social entrepreneurship, while universities offer entrepreneurship courses, motivated the study. Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour was used in the study. It assessed personal attitude, subjective norm, perceived behaviour control, prior entrepreneurship exposure and prior experience as predictors of social entrepreneurship intention among female university graduates in Zambia. Using the mixed methods design, a sample of 500 female graduate students was randomly derived and answered the Entrepreneurial Intentions Questionnaire (EIQ). Analysis by hierarchical multiple regression at 95% confidence level and p-value significant at 0.05, revealed that all the models were significant. Prediction of SEI among female Zambian university graduates was strongest when the variables of variables of PA, SN, PBC, PEE and PE were considered together. The study is consistent with Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour. Recommendations are made to government and educational institutions to adopt strategies to inspire SE.