LEADERSHIP BARRIERS AND THEIR EFFECT ON SCALING WOMEN-OWNED SMEs IN ADDIS ABABA: THE CASE OF BOLE SUB CITY WOREDA 03.

Abstract

This study investigates the leadership barriers that affect the scaling of women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bole Sub City Woreda 03, Addis Ababa. Despite the increasing number of women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia, most remain unable to grow their businesses due to persistent challenges in leadership. Using a quantitative-dominant mixed-methods design, the research surveyed 125 women SME owners and conducted 5 in-depth interviews to examine the effects of work-life imbalance, limited leadership development opportunities, and gender discrimination on business scaling measured in terms of revenue, employment, and market expansion. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression analyses were conducted using SPSS. The findings reveal that work-life imbalance and limited leadership development opportunities have significantly negative effect on scaling. While gender discrimination showed a significant correlation but did not have a statistically significant effect in the regression model. This study highlights the urgent need for gender-sensitive leadership training and policy reforms to empower women entrepreneurs and promote inclusive economic growth.