Women entrepreneurship, intersectionality, and networks in firm performance.

Research on African women entrepreneurs operating micro and small businesses demonstrates how the agency in enterprising works gender and identity through social capital that fosters businesses. It showed that the shared "otherness" of gender is accompanied by a shared sense of responsibility and social obligation. In time, this spilt over into bridging social capital and connecting to the wider community. Social capital may depend on frequent interaction and proximity, and both are difficult during isolation and social distancing. The COVID-19 crisis thus works as a stress test for adopting digital resources and utilising social relations and resources. Drawing on the network and social capital theories, this study examines how women construct gender and identity differently and how network resources mediate entrepreneurial performance. This study focussed on internal and external networks to explain how women-owned businesses operate as networks influence how organisations are nurtured, managed and sustained.